The Government yesterday announced a blanket ban on shopping bags, lunch sheets and regifoam lunch boxes throughout the country from September 1.
Accordingly, the manufacturing, sale and use of shopping bags, lunch sheets and regiform lunch boxes will be banned after . Environment and Mahaweli Development Deputy Minister Anuradha Jayaratne, terming it as a revolutionary move, requested full support of the public to successfully confront the difficulties that may crop up during the transition period.
“We decided on the ban after discussing with all the stakeholders for over eight months. We have given a grace period till September to adopt to alternatives. In the next few months, we will make sure that the alternatives to replace the banned items will be in the market,” he said.
While the already existing ban on polythene less than 20 microns in thickness will remain unchanged, for other types of polythene except for the above, the Government has also imposed a ban on the use of polythene for “decorative purposes” at all “national, social, and religious ceremonies” from .
The ban on regiform lunch boxes (Polystyrene Lunch boxes) also applies to the plates, cups and spoons made of the same material. The commonly used shopping bags will be replaced with environmental friendly or biodegradable plastic packing items. The Action Plan prepared to by the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) for proper management of the use of polythene also includes “controlling the use of polythene bags to fill/insert/pack the processed and cooked meals during the sale of all type of food”. The deputy minister said the aim of the Government in introducing new regulations is to prevent the environmental harm caused by polythene by 2018.
CEA Chairman Prof. Lal Mervin Dharmasiri, observing that 10-15 percent of the waste collected in Sri Lanka comprises polythene, said it has been a main reason for the spread of the dengue epidemic.
“Last year alone we had imported 113,500 MT of polythene as a material spending about Rs 20 billion. The per capita polythene use in Sri Lanka is 5.7kgs and this rate in the Western province is high as 7.5 kgs. As an average we use 20 million lunch sheets each day. We have also reliably found that certain manufacturers add to them to increase the thickness and it is a serious health hazard” he explained.
He said the Government will soon also ban the burning of polythene and plastic considering the environmental pollution it causes and serious health hazards it poses to the people.
Prof. Dharmasiri said cellophane wrappers have not been banned under the new regulations.