Biodegradable lunch sheets compulsory from Aug. 1: Amaraweera

 

The Environment Ministry has made the use of biodegradable lunch sheets compulsory from August 1, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.

Addressing the media, he said biodegradable lunch sheets should be made available in shops from the said date.

Non-perishable lunch sheets made of polythene will be banned from August 1 and also their production and distribution.

However, a grace period of one month will be granted to sell the existing stock of lunch sheets which have already been produced. Any new production and distribution of lunch sheets made of polythene will be prohibited thereafter, the Minister said.

The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) will conduct raids to find whether the prohibited materials are still being produced. Law will be strictly enforced against the persons who manufacture and distribute in defiance of government order, Minister Amaraweera said.

He also said a Cabinet Memorandum will be signed today (14) to submit to the Cabinet a list of banned items on eight other types of polythene and plastic products for immediate disposal.

Accordingly, the list of banned products is as follows: Single use straws and stirrers,  spoons, forks, yoghurt spoons and knives made of single plastic, volumes lesser than 400x500mm shopping bags, plastic string hopper trays, Polythene packed incense sticks and wicks, plastic garlands, plastic cups and Lunch sheets.

“According to the latest information released by the CEA, they said the use of daily lunch sheets in the country has increased. Accordingly, the number of lunch sheets used in our country per day has increased to 12-15 million.
And not even one percent of this is recycled and all lunch sheets purchased by the public are disposed to the environment,” the Minister said.

Currently there are alternatives to this. However, biochemical lunch sheets are currently manufactured by 10 factories. However, the minister said that if the factories tried to mislead the public and produce non-perishable lunch sheets, their production licenses would be annulled.

The Minister also said that approval for the production of biodegradable lunch sheets will be given only to institutions registered under the CEA. 

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