by Ifham Nizam

The Environment Ministry on Friday claimed success for its campaign to ban plastic sachets (small packages) and lunch sheets, with the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) carrying out intensive raids against the manufacture, sale and distribution of banned polythene and plastic items.

Kore such raids are planned for the rest of the year, officials said.

Sachets worth an estimated Rs. 960 million are sold in the country annually, while the number of lunch sheets released into the environment annually exceeds 5.48 billion, according to a CEA study.

“Polythene will never decompose in nature. It takes 50 to 450 years for it to become invisible to the human eye, turning into micro plastic particles and then nano particles that eventually accumulate in the soil as well as in reservoirs and oceans,” Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.

He maintained that the decision to reduce the use of polythene and plastic in the country has been very successful by banning the using of sachets and lunch sheets and their manufacture and distribution.

Controlling even the sale of inflatable toys had proved a success, he claimed.

Sachets caused great damage to the drinking water sources, polluting river systems and reservoirs. Billions of them are dumped indiscriminately countrywide causing enormous damage.

Following the ban on their production, distribution and sale, this menace has been largely overcome according to a CEA study.

Amaraweera has directed the CEA to be continuously vigilant and conduct further raids to determine whether these pollutants continue to be manufactured. Intensive raiding will continue for the rest of the year to detect manufacture of banned plastic products and over 700 officials will be deployed for the purpose

The Minister said that though the ban had been a success, continued vigilance was essential with manufacturing facilities regularly inspected. In an effort to control use of non-degradable plastics, the Ministry of Environment banned five single use polythene and plastics products from March 31, 2021.

The production, distribution and sale of non-perishable lunch sheets made of polythene were also banned from August 1 this year. Subsequently, Cabinet approval was granted to ban eight more polythene and plastic items. The relevant gazette notification will be issued soon, officials said.

The production, distribution and sale of sachets other than those used for packaging food and pharmaceuticals, plastic cotton bud stems and inflated polythene toys have been banned since March 31.