G/TBT/N/MUS/11  
5 November 2020  
(20-7854) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  MAURITIUS   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate 
Change  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be i ndicated if different from above:   
Mrs. D. Boodhun  
Divisional Environment Officer  
Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate change  
Ken Lee Tower  
Barracks Street, Port Louis  
T :+ 230 213 3058  
F : 211 3865  
E-mail: dboodhun@govmu.org  
TBT National Notification Authority  
International Trade Division  
Ministry of Foreign Affair, Regional Integration and International Trade  
La Chaussée Street, Port -Louis 
Email: motas @intent.mu ; vidan_2@yahoo.com  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [   ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [X], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   
Non-Biodegradable Single Use Plastic products  
Biodegradable Single Use Products  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Environment 
Protection (Control of Single use Pla stic Products) Regulations 2020 (15 page(s), in 
English)  
6. Description of content:   
Salient features of the regulations  
"No person shall import for home consumption, manufacture, possess, sell, supply or use 
any non -biodegradable single use plastic product specified in Part I of the Second 
Schedule."  
• Part I of the second schedule comprises of the following single use plastics 
products : Cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks), Plate, Cup, Bowl, Tray, 
Straw, Beverage stirrer, Hinged contain er, plastic lid for single use plastic product G/TBT/N/MUS/11  
 
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  and plastic receptacles of any shape, with or without lid, used to contain food 
which is intended for immediate consumption, either on the spot or take away 
and supplied by a food service business.  
• As from 15 January 2021, the above mentioned single use plastic products will 
be banned. However, three single use plastic products, namely, plastic tray, 
plastic hinged container and sealed plastic straws forming an integral part of the 
packaging of another product will be banned as from 15 April 2021.  
"No person shall import or manufacture a biodegradable single use product specified in 
the First Schedule unless he is registered with the Director."  
• The First Schedule comprises all of the above listed products but wh ich are made 
of material other than plastic such as wood, paper, paper pulp, Kraft paper, 
cellulose, bagasse, bamboo, palm, edible cutlery, and bio -based polymer such as 
Poly (lactic) acid (PLA), CPLA, PBS.  
Importers and manufacturers of biodegradable sing le use products are required to be 
registered at the Department of Environment prior to importation or manufacture.  
The steps for registration are as follows:  
(i) Applicant (Importer and Manufacturer) fills in the prescribed form of the regulations 
(Third Schedule) and submit to the Department of Environment (DOE).  
(ii) DOE process the application and after obtaining such information and carrying out 
such investigation, DOE registers the Applicant and issue a Certificate of Registration to 
the Applicant aft er payment of 10,000 rupees by the Applicant.  
(iii) Certificate of registration shall be valid for a period of three years and shall be not 
transferable.  
(iv) Certificate of registration shall be renewed no later than 3 months prior to the expiry 
of the ce rtificate  
Clearance prior to placing of order  
In addition to registration, an importer will be required to apply for a clearance to the 
Director of Environment at least 30 days prior to placing of order of the respective 
biodegradable single use product.  
Clearance will have to be obtained on a consignment by consignment basis.  
Requirements for Application for clearance  
(i) Certificate of conformity specifying the following information:  
• the country of origin;  
• the name and contact address of the manufacturer;  
• certify that the biodegradable single use product does not contain plastic; and  
• list the raw materials used to manufacture the biodegradable single use product.  
(ii) Three samples of the respective biodegradable single use products to be impo rted will 
have to be submitted for verification.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  The growing use of short -lived plastics which are not designed for re -use or 
cost-effective recycling means that they ar e thrown away into the environment within a 
short amount of time, even within minutes after they are first utilised. Most plastics do 
not biodegrade. Instead, they slowly break down into smaller fragments known as micro -
plastics. Micro -plastics, if ingeste d by fish or other marine life, can enter our food chain. 
Micro -plastics have already been found in common table salt and in both tap and bottled 
water Studies have found that plastic bags and containers made of expanded polystyrene 
foam (commonly referred  to as "Styrofoam") can take up to thousands of years to 
decompose, contaminating soil and water. The largest market for plastics today is 
packaging materials which are mostly single use plastics. Most of these single use plastic 
products are improperly di sposed end up as litter, clogs drains and waterways G/TBT/N/MUS/11  
 
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  contributing to flash flood during heavy rain and take up space in our sole landfill which 
is reaching saturation. Litter in scenic places can negatively impact the tourism industry. 
Cleaning plastic wast e also cost the Government a lot. Mauritius also has limited recycling 
facility implying that the majority of our plastic waste is accumulating in our landfill. Each 
year, it has been estimated that Mauritius generates about 76,000 tonnes of plastic 
wastes . One of the most effective strategy to curb plastic pollution is to reduce their 
inputs. Government of more than 60 countries around the world has introduced different 
policy tools from bans to economic instruments such as taxes and extended producer 
responsibility to tackle plastic pollution. In line with the Government Policy of Zero Plastic 
by 2030, the objective of the regulations is to curb plastic pollution by controlling the 
volume of non -biodegradable single use plastic products which most often en d up as litter. 
The regulations also aim to promote biodegradable alternatives  
8. Relevant documents:   
https://environment.govmu.org/Documents/Gazetted%20Environment%20Protection%
20(Control%2 0of%20single%20use%20plastic%20products)%20Regulations%202020.
pdf 
9. Proposed date of adoption:  18 July 2020  
Proposed date of entry into force:  15 January 2021  
10. Final date for comments:  N/A 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
Mrs. D. Boodhun  
Divisional Environment Officer  
Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate change  
Ken Lee Tower  
Barracks Street  
Port Louis  
T : + 230 213 3058  
F : 211 3865  
E-mail: dboodhun@govmu.org  
Mauritius Standards Bureau (TBT Enquiry Point)  
Email: msb@intnet.mu / KRamsarrun@msb.intnet.mu  
Fax : +230 4335051  
International Trade Division (TBT National Notification Authority)  
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade  
E-mail: motas@intnet.mu ; vidan_2@yahoo.com  
Fax: +230 210 8145  
https://environment.govmu.org/Documents/Gazetted%20Environment%20Protection%
20(Control%20of%20single%20use%20plastic%20products)%20Regulations%202020.
pdf