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No point trying to make legal lunch sheets, makers say
Despite claims of intensive raids by the Central Environment Authority (CEA) to bar high-density polythene products the use of the ubiquitous shopping bags and lunch sheets is on the rise and manufacturers have decided to abandon production of biodegradable lunch sheets.
Container-loads of raw material for biodegradable low-density polythene lunch sheets, imported back in January, remain in stock as demand has waned, the Polythene Manufacturers and Recycling Association (PMRA) said.
PMRA President Anura Wijetunge said biodegradable lunch sheets had been in huge demand in January but there was little interest in them now due to the free availability of lunch sheets made of banned polythene.
“The illegal manufacturers have returned to the market, churning out the banned items in abundance,” he said.
He accused the CEA of failing to go after errant manufacturers.
In the beginning, the people had taken the ban seriously and started buying biodegradable lunch sheets despite their higher cost. At that time also, illegal companies manufacturing the banned product had stopped production.
The slow implementation of the ban has, however, emboldened many manufacturers (both registered and unregistered) to restart production of banned polythene lunch sheets, Mr. Wijetunge said. “Rogue manufacturers have gone back to the manufacture of the banned polythene,” he said.
“When we complain, they claim that they don’t have enough staff to carry out the raids. They should have properly organised themselves before starting to implement the law.”
Polythene manufacturers were faced with the arduous task of selling the biodegradable lunch sheets already manufactured as well as bearing the cost of the unused raw material. “It is a serious loss for us,” the PMRA President said.
“We no longer want to invest in the production of biodegradable lunch sheets. We have told the CEA of our decision,” Mr. Wijetunge declared.
He also pointed out that there was much wastage with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) shopping bags because shoppers ended up using two to three bags simultaneously as the bags tore under the weight of shopping loads.
The CEA, however, is upbeat, saying the programme to ban high-density polythene was a success. The agency’s Deputy Director-General, I.M.U. Indraratne said 3,053 raids had been conducted all over the country to nab manufacturers, sellers and dealers of banned polythene. “We conducted day and night raids,” he said.
In recent weeks it had joined hands with the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to conduct raids on wholesale and retail shops and charged more than 400 outlets with selling the banned polythene lunch sheets and HDPE shopping bags. “They will be taken to court,” Mr. Indraratne said.
He said most factories were manufacturing the banned products in secret and were hard to find. “When we get information on truck movements with polythene being loaded – only then do we know that such a business is being operated,” he said.
Mr. Wijetunge said the CEA should seek help from grama sevakas and the Ceylon Electricity Board to identify culprits. “Most of those businesses operate in the backyards of homes and unusually high electricity bills will identify illegal business operations,” he said.
Publicising raids and the penalties meted out to offenders would also deter lawbreakers, Mr. Wijetunge said.
The head of Solid Waste Management at Metro Colombo, Jayalal Fernando, supported Mr. Wijetunge’s complaints. “The CEA needs to stringently enforce the law,” he said.
The regulation to increase the thickness of polythene bags and lunch sheets to 20 microns and above was brought in 10 years ago but Sri Lanka is still struggling to implement the law.
“The consumer will always go for the cheaper product if it serves the same purpose,” Mr. Fernando said.
He said parents and teachers could play a greater role in this area by teaching their children about the “responsible disposal” of plastic and polythene.