News
Lanka must make polluters pay: CEJ Chief calls for plastic levy implementation without delay
Sri Lanka’s long-delayed effort to curb plastic pollution must now move from talk to tangible action, says Hemantha Withanage, Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), warning that awareness campaigns and voluntary measures have failed to address the country’s growing plastic crisis.
Withanage, who has been involved in national plastic policy discussions since the 1990s, told The Island that imposing a price or environmental levy on plastic bags and packaging is the only way to hold producers and consumers accountable.
He added: “People say awareness alone is enough. But while we’ve been talking since 1990, global plastic production has jumped from 105 million tonnes to 460 million tonnes. Clearly, awareness hasn’t worked,” he said.
Withanage urged the government to implement the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework — a system that forces companies profiting from plastics to contribute financially to collection, recycling, and waste management.
“Multinational corporations like Coca-Cola and Unilever, supported by chambers of commerce, are trying to water down EPR by calling it consumer responsibility. This is unacceptable,” he said. “For over 20 years, we’ve been stuck in endless discussions because of political and corporate resistance.”
He added that even past attempts to introduce EPR laws and product tracking systems, such as QR codes for plastic bottles, were blocked by industry influence.
According to CEJ data, Sri Lanka generates nearly 10,000 metric tonnes of solid waste daily, of which only about 3,500 tonnes are collected. Of the 249,037 tonnes of plastic waste produced annually, about 97,000 tonnes are collected, 77,000 tonnes managed, and only 27,000 tonnes recycled.
“With such low collection and recycling rates, we are literally drowning in plastic,” Withanage warned. “The government’s own estimates show the waste management cost per tonne exceeded Rs. 1,800 back in 2013 — it’s far higher today.”
He said the global environmental cost of plastic pollution now stands at USD 3.7 trillion annually, roughly 10 times its production value.
Sri Lanka has previously tried — and failed — to impose levies on plastic bags. In 2008, then Environment Minister Champika Ranawaka introduced the Environmental Conservation Levy Act, but the initiative was halted after the Supreme Court ruled that prices could not be fixed under the Consumer Affairs Authority Act.
However, in March 2024, the Colombo High Court, following a CEJ petition, ruled that the government could introduce a levy or surcharge on plastic bags, provided the revenue is used for waste management, public awareness, and promoting alternatives.
“Despite agreeing to this in court, the Consumer Affairs Authority revoked the relevant Gazette in May. This is why CEJ has gone back to court for contempt,” Withanage said. “We need political courage, not bureaucratic excuses.”
Withanage estimates that even a one-rupee charge per bag could raise Rs. 15 million daily, assuming a 25% drop in plastic bag use.
“If we can cut the 20 million plastic bags used daily to 15 million and channel that money into waste management, it would make a real difference,” he said.
He added that Mozambique’s EPR system saves USD 551 million annually and supports 98,000 jobs, demonstrating the economic benefits of well-managed plastic policies.
Withanage criticised repeated beach cleanups and short-term awareness drives, often sponsored by the same companies producing plastic waste.
“Every year we see the same photos — officials, students, and corporate staff collecting plastic for a day. But a week later, the plastic is back. These are publicity stunts, not solutions,” he said.
He warned that alternatives such as starch-based bioplastics remain economically uncompetitive, while fabric-based products often contain plastic microfibres.
“This isn’t just CEJ’s battle — it’s everyone’s,” Withanage said. “The government, private sector, supermarkets, and the public must all play their part. Whether capitalist or socialist, we owe our children a clean and safe future.”
He stressed that pricing plastics is not merely an environmental measure but an act of justice.
“If we can’t fix this in our lifetime, at least let’s set the stage so the next generation can. We’ve talked long enough. It’s time to make polluters pay,” he added.
By Ifham Nizam
‘Companies may face US sanctions’: Lanka to put ‘national interest’ first as 19 Iranian vessels seek help
(ToI) Sri Lanka said on Friday it would “prioritise our national interests” before providing assistance to the crews of 19 Iranian ships anchored in international waters near the island nation.The crews are facing shortages of food, water and fuel. A foreign ministry spokesperson cited the risk of US sanctions against Sri Lankan companies supplying the vessels as a key concern.
The United States and Iran have been at war since February 28, when the US and Israel launched joint strikes against the Islamic Republic.
“Sri Lanka will put its national interest first before considering any help, and the companies that supply ships are aware of possible secondary sanctions from the United States,” spokesperson Thushara Rodrigo told reporters, ruling out any immediate assistance to the vessels.
Rodrigo clarified, however, that Sri Lanka had received no communication from the United States warning of repercussions if it decided to assist the vessels.According to Rodrigo, the ships are stationed 24 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s coast.The Iranian Embassy said it had no information on the matter.
In March, a US torpedo attack sank the Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena in Sri Lankan waters, killing 87 sailors.
The ship was returning to Iran after participating in a naval exercise at India’s invitation. A second Iranian vessel was brought to a Sri Lankan port after its crew reported technical problems.
Wounded sailors were treated at Sri Lankan hospitals, while those rescued from the second vessel were safely repatriated to Iran.
Sri Lanka is still recovering from an economic crisis, with both the United States and Iran serving as important trading partners. Washington played a key role in securing an International Monetary Fund bailout and supporting Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector to help avert a food crisis.
Sri Lanka CERT has warned the public of fraudulent social media advertisements offering admission to foreign universities after receiving complaints from parents and students who have lost hundreds of thousands of rupees to scammers.
The fraudsters reportedly pose as representatives of reputed foreign universities, promising admission, student visas, work permits and even eventual citizenship in return for registration fees and initial tuition payments.
They use convincing videos, photographs and documents circulated via email and WhatsApp to gain the confidence of unsuspecting victims before asking them to transfer money to foreign bank accounts. The scammers then disappear after receiving the payments, Sri Lanka CERT said.
The agency has urged prospective students and their parents to verify the authenticity of university representatives, documents and bank account details before making payments, and to seek overseas education opportunities only through legitimate and recognised channels.
Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and International Court of Justice judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to international law and efforts to promote peace, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced in Oslo on Friday.
Announcing the award, committee chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes said Pillay had “significantly enlarged the scope and impact of international law” and helped advance “a more comprehensive global legal order” with exceptional courage. He also praised her long career, which began as a lawyer confronting deep-rooted discrimination in South Africa, and described her as a person with a “firm moral compass”.
Pillay, 85, served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. Her tenure brought her into sharp focus in Sri Lanka, particularly over her assessment of the country’s human rights situation in the aftermath of the decades-long civil war.
During an official fact-finding visit to Sri Lanka from August 25 to 31, 2013, Pillay travelled to areas including Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Trincomalee, where she met civil war survivors, families of the disappeared and local communities.
Following the visit, she warned that Sri Lanka was moving towards authoritarianism and highlighted what she described as a persistent climate of fear.
She also reported intimidation and harassment of people who had sought to meet her during the mission.
Pillay urged the UN Human Rights Council to establish an international inquiry mechanism to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both government forces and the LTTE during the final stages of the 26-year civil war.
Her observations and recommendations became a significant part of international scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s post-war human rights record.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee received 287 nominations for this year’s Peace Prize, slightly more than a quarter of them being organisations. The committee traditionally considers efforts to promote peace, international fraternity and institutions that contribute to lasting stability.
Last year, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the prize for her campaign for a democratic transition in Venezuela. She was praised as a woman who kept the flame of democracy burning amid growing darkness.
The 2026 award marks the 125th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize, first presented in 1901. Over its history, the prize has recognised prominent figures and organisations involved in advancing peace, human rights and international cooperation.
Rahmat, Malik fifties lead Afghanistan’s strong reply
Showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and North-Western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Anuradhapura and Mannar districts.
Iranian ships stranded, Lanka fears US sanctions
Sri Lanka CERT warns of overseas university admission scams
Navi Pillay’s Lankan affairs in focus as she wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize
Lanka welcomes Indian SC remarks on Katchatheevu dispute
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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