With the recent implementation of regulations to ban the use of HDPE to manufacture shopping bags and lunch sheets, discussions are emerging in society on environment protection and reusable bags and issues the SME sector is facing.
“While it is of utmost importance to protect our environment we should also look into the repercussions of such regulations and the economic and environmental friendliness of the alternative substitutes which have been introduced to the market,” said Shirantha Bokalawela who has 15 years experience in working in the polymer manufacturing industry.
Speaking to ‘Daily News Business’ he says that the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) must do further studies in this regard before banning use of some substances of polythene as it has a major negate impact for the SME sector and convenience of the public.
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| Shirantha Bokalawela |
“First these products which were regularized by the new HDPE ban are products which are mostly used by the low income earners in the country. For example, if we take the lunch sheet, it is mostly used by the low income earning working population of this country, specifically leaving out the high income earners. Secondly the shopping bag is again something used by low income earning population. ”
“It would be much easy for a high income earning employee to go to a restaurant or bring the lunch in a plate, where the need of the lunch sheet is minimal, whereas if we take the 600,000 people who commute to Colombo on a daily basis in crowded buses and trains the picture is completely different.”
An official of the CEA once mentioned that people can bring their lunch in ‘two plates’ covered by a cloth but this is not practical for people taking public transport. “Some manufacturers have spoken of introducing reusable non-woven bags to supermarkets and this option is good. However how many people go to super markets?” he asked.
He said that the alternatives provided should be economically affordable and should be mindful of the outflow of foreign currency.
The earlier used HDPE 20’ foot container was around US$ 21,450 and the new compo-stable material which the CEA encourages manufacturers to use costs US$ 60,000 and this is a staggering US$ 6,939,000 extra outflow. Is this something a country like ours can afford?” he asked. He explained that the alternative LLDPE (more elastic) bags provided by CEA officials and used in supermarkets too are not the answer to the problem.
“These new bags are made of LLDPE and although manufactured in low gauges, takes same or longer time to degrade than HDPE because of the differences in their structure, Additionally because of its elasticity (thin) people tend to use two to three bags instead of one, to ensure that contents stay within, making the pollution twice as much as before the ban!”
He said that lunch sheets and shopping bags are not the only the ‘demons’ that endanger the environment.
“In the Meethotamulla tragedy (which cost 32 lives, in April 2017) only 7% of the garbage in it had polymer and plastic products, which means the polymer components (shopping bags and lunch sheets in question) would have been far less than 7%.
“Additionally what we have to remember is that there are large amount of other products (which use polymer) such as biscuit packets and shampoo sachet that are not even recyclable. The authorities should look at bring in regulations for these kind of packaging as well.”
“Before the enforcement of the new regulations, over 200, 000 were engaged in the polymer manufacturing industry and they included home based industrialists and the small scale entrepreneurs.”
“While the giants of the industry to switch to new high cost materials, the SME sector had no option other than to close down operations leaving behind many to unemployment giving the big players in the industry another ‘leap’, as they faced less market competition. They also priced their goods at the higher price and making high profits.”
Today the cost of manufacturing of a single lunch sheet using compostable material is Rs.1/= and the market price for it is Rs 3.60/=
He said that the alternative for this problem is the use of Oxo-bio degradable as an additive, to HDPE and LLDPE. “The use of Oxo-bio degradable has been around the world for many years by many countries and is very cost effective compared to compostable materials.”
This is specifically suitable for Sri Lanka, where the country doesn’t have specific seasons and sunlight is available abundantly throughout the year. “Oxo-bio degradable use sunlight to degrade the polymers and this happens in approximately 18 months, thus completely degrade minimizing the pollution.”
The authorities should focus more on the recycling process, as almost all products which were regularized (shopping bags and lunch sheets) are recyclable. The general public should be encouraged to segregate garbage and to use separate garbage bins to put away recyclable polymer products.
“I am taking on this initiative and hope to initiate the first CSR project where separate garbage bins will be installed in public spaces to collect polymer products for recycling purposes.”
The second stage of this project would be to educate school children on segregation of polymers and to show them that it is not polymers which destroys our environment but the way in which we dispose of it.”
The authorities should focus on a fine system where general public are fined if they do not dispose of polymers (especially at public spaces) properly.
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