CEA tells companies to take responsibility for plastic bottles
The Central Environment Authority (CEA) is to introduce a national policy to regulate industries responsible for disposing plastic bottles into the environment
CEA Director General, J.M.U Indraratne said that under a national plan approved by Cabinet companies that bottle mineral water, aerated water and juices are required to come up with a programme to dispose of millions of plastic bottles that pollute the land, sea and waterways.
The Sunday Times learns that industries will have to develop a sustainable programme to collect the used bottles and send them to recycling centres. In addition the manufacturers have been asked to come up with a system where consumers would receive a monetary incentive on the return of used plastic bottles.
In November last year an expert committee including officials from the Consumer Affairs Authority, the Health Ministry, the beverage industry and University researchers had discussed that adding value to the used bottle would encourage consumers to return it. Even scavengers who pick up these bottles on the roadside would return them if they got some payment in return.
Earlier, a proposal to return to the traditional glass bottles and charging a de p o s i t dependent on its return was turned down by the industries concerned.
They argued that collecting glass bottles would be a cumbersome process and would involve storing and transportation cost spiking the cost of production.
Also a recent proposal to impose a ban on PET ( Poly Ethylene Tetraphthalate) bottles below one litre to minimise plastic waste has also been met with resistance. Manufacturers said the small size bottles were economical to consumers in a third world country like Sri Lanka .
Mr. Indraratne said except for the Distilleries Corporation and Elephant House no other company has a sustainable programme to collect used plastic bottles.
Also a recent proposal to impose a ban on PET (Poly Ethylene Tetraphthalate) bottles below one litre to minimize plastic waste has also been met with resistance. Manufacturers said the small size bottles were economical to consumers in a third world country like Sri Lanka .