Shopping bag makers bemoan ban
Plastic bag manufacturers are not in favour of the environmental regulator’s initiative to impose a ban in Sri Lanka next year.
The Central Environment Authority announced last week that manufacturing will be banned by mid next year.
The Plastic Manufacturers and Recylers Association (PMRA), said that several members who have spent millions of rupees converting their HDP (high density polyethylene) production machines to LDP (low density polyethylene) machines are in a dilemma.
President Anura Wijeratne, said that in 2017 nearly 100 members had complied with the government's decision to make low-density shopping bags.
The government assured an Rs 200,000 public subsidy for a single machine to be adapted for producing bags that are thinner. As a result, manufacturers switched to wholesale production and some big operators spent on up to six machines in a single factory.
But, the government did not deliver and paid only Rs. 200,000 per manufacturer.
Mr. Wijeratne, said that although manufacturers had pointed to the futility of low-density bags that are not durable, the CEA went ahead with its decision.
“Now they want to do away with the LDP bags saying there is a drastic increase in use and the quantity disposed, increasing environmental pollution.’’
The use of low-density shopping bags has increased. Raw material imports have also risen.
The State Minister for Money and Capital Market, Nivaard Cabraal, told Parliament that Rs. 549.9 billion has been spent on imports of 2.1 billion kilos of plastics from 40 countries in the four years to 2019, since the cess on plastics was removed.
Following talks with manufacturers last week, the CEA indicated its intention to stop all production of the ubiquitous ‘silli sIlli’ bags by mid 2021.
Laws will be introduced in June to ban all shopping and grocery bags below 20 microns of thickness.
CEA director general, solid waste, J.M.U Indraratne, said that under a three- stage proposal to reduce plastic use in the country, the government will ban all plastic items including PET bottles, of less than 400 millilitres, toiletries, and cleaning products in 400ml and 500ml sachets.
Also, one-time use plastic cutlery including spoons, forks, knifes, lunch boxes, cups and plates will be banned. Even polythene covers on packs of joss sticks, and the pahan thira, or wicks, will be banned.
From January, 20ml sachets of shampoo, cream and others products, (excluding food) inflatable toys (other than balloons and swimming gear), plastic straws and ear buds will be removed from retail shelves.
Regulations will require all plastic manufacturers to adopt universal symbols indicating sizes of the gauge of plastics from 1 to 7 on PET bottles, high and low density polyethylene products, PVC pipes, polypropylene, polystyrene and other materials.
This will enable easier segregation and recycling. Plans are also afoot to ban micro plastics, including plastic accessories, beads, equipment, containers, kitchen utensils in homes and hotels, from January 2022, the CEA said.