Let's reduce the use of polythene

            The use of non-perishable plastics and polythene is at the forefront of the world's informal waste disposal, waste mountain formation and many other environmental, health, social, and economic disasters that have caused much controversy today. Many countries around the world are taking steps to ban the production and use of polythene for such problems. According to The World Counts website, the use of polythene bags worldwide is approximately 5 trillion per year and the consumption per second is 160,000. World polythene consumption triples every 10 years. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located in the North Pacific jar of the Pacific Ocean, is made up mostly of plastic and polythene. It is twice the size of the state of Texas (20 million square kilometers) and contains about 100 million tons of waste. Only 1-3% of the world's used polythene bags are recycled. The issue of waste disposal, which has become a hot topic in Sri Lanka today, is a burning issue that has led to mass protests, court orders, conflicts of political opinion, and, more importantly, environmental, health and membership issues. The Bloemendhal Garbage Dump Tragedy of 09.03.2009 and the Meethotamulla Tragedy of 14.04.2017 are good examples for this. Also, waste disposal in areas such as Karadiyana and Muthurajawela poses another danger.

        There are two main types of polythene products. Namely High Density polyethylene (HDPE) and Low Density polyethylene (LDPE). Polyethylene consists of long chains. Ethylene is formed from natural gas and petroleum. In the manufacture of these polythene bags, other materials including dyes are added.A biodegradable polyethylene chain, also known as recyclable polythene, is a form of polymer formed from lactic acid that can be digested by polylactic acid. These have the potential to be digested by microorganisms.

              The concept of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) that has been implemented for decades is now limited to words. When buying a product on the market it is often put in several packages. Then consumers have no choice but to buy such items. According to the World Bank, in 2012, Sri Lanka was one of the largest producers of per capita urban waste daily. It is 5.1 Kg. Ghana is the country with the lowest daily per capita urban waste generation. It weighs 0.09 Kg. 

         And also, although we often separate waste into perishable and non-perishable, some municipal / local council vehicles that carry it mix it back together. Recycling was one of the components of the national plastic waste management program implemented in Sri Lanka. But it was difficult to use lunch sheets and polythene bags at the same time for this process. They needed separate washrooms to wash and clean them. Many of these problems have led to fewer solutions to polythene. Many rural people today are tempted to donate recyclable waste to collection vehicles. In the past, they often dug holes in kitchen and garden waste at home. The amount of waste to be managed by the Municipal Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas has increased drastically due to the loading of waste that can be managed by themselves into the Local / Municipal Councils. There are also more than 100 waste management centers run by the government-run Solid Waste Management 'Pilisaru' project. The Western Provincial Waste Management Authority also maintains such centers. Most of this is done by turning municipal waste into compost. However, these centers have material management issues such as polythene and are simply unsatisfactory in terms of their efficiency as they are used for informal landfilling. If polythene is banned, local / municipal councils and other composting companies will effectively manage its biodegradable waste. Criteria and recommended standards for the quality of municipal waste compost are already being developed. Waste management should be done through change in the behavior of all of us. I do not believe that waste management can be solved by banning polythene. 

• Prohibition of the use of polythene in all ceremonies.

• Allow polythene less than 20 microns to be used for essential purposes only with the approval of the Central Environmental Authority.

• Prohibition on sale, import and manufacture of lunch sheet

• Prohibition of burning of polythene and plastic in open areas.

• Introduction and promotion of biodegradable plastic material.

• As an alternative to polythene packaging, use alternatives such as cloth, reed or paper, eco-friendly packaging, bags.

            In order for the above activities announced by the government to take place more efficiently, systematic alternatives to polythene / plastic products and vendors should be introduced. Also, new manufacturers of reeds, canes, banana peels, cloth bags / bags and existing manufacturers should be encouraged. A new market should be created for the production of eco-friendly bags. It should also be given tax breaks as an incentive for recycling. The time has come for you to think about how good the ban on polythene is for you and the future of the country.

         Due to the lack of proper disposal of polythene / plastic waste, the environmental pollution from the atmosphere, oceans, seas, and freshwater reservoirs to the land environment is enormous. These include the destruction of ecosystems, epidemics such as dengue caused by blockage of drainage systems, flash floods, the release of various heavy metals and chemicals into the environment, and the resulting diseases. Most plastics / polythenes are not biodegradable and when exposed to sunlight, the bonds of the plastic polymers weaken and break down into smaller parts. Also releases a chemical called Biophenol A. According to a 2012 survey, about 165 million tons of illegally discarded polythene and plastic are deposited on the seabed.Of these, the number of marine life that dies each year exceeds 100,000 and the number of seabirds exceeds one million. The toxic diethyl hexyl phthalate found here is carcinogenic. It also enters humans through the food chain through sea creatures. Polythene decomposes very slowly and causes a lot of damage to the land environment. Most of the dumping / landfilling in Sri Lanka has resulted in landfills. Land-dwelling elephants, deer, and birds come from these mountains to eat. These animals often die from the entrapment of polythene particles in the digestive system. Also, most of these disposal sites are located near reservoirs. Therefore, the resulting leachate contaminates the soil and surrounding water sources. Our investigation revealed that most of the heavy metals in the soil near such a landfill are high. Among such heavy metals, high levels of Pb (lead) and Ni (nickel) are due to the disposal of batteries and other tins along with the waste. Also, methane, a greenhouse gas released from landfilling, has a greenhouse effect. Furthermore, carbon dioxide, dioxin and carbon monoxide are released into the atmosphere as toxic gases due to the burning of non-perishable polythene / plastics. Also, plastic bags are made from natural gas and petroleum, so its production is polluting.

Sri Lanka government has announced a three-phase ban on random polythene / plastics to be implemented from September 2017.