Polythene ban and its advantages

Polythene: The polythene ban, its advantages are being talked of and highlighted in various ways in the local news media these days.

For several years there have been several organisations, NGOs, so called environmentalists and individuals who have been calling for a partial ban and even a total ban on the manufacture of polythene materials causing much environmental harm.

It is now very pertinent to observe that these very same bodies have gone into the usual sleep mode once a partial ban has been brought in by the Minister concerned and are not countering the dubious propaganda being made for the lifting of the ban. This is a situation similar to the great hue and cry made and now dead over the Norochcholai coal power plant by these so-called environmentalists who are never consistent in whatever they set out to do.

It is very appropriate that the ban on the manufacture of the thin gauge film was brought in due to the following reasons.

* There is no doubt that thin polythene film in any form is a major hazard especially due to its near impossibility to be collected and recycled.

* The use of thin polythene especially lunch sheets can have many alternatives as were used during previous times and in the widely used modern day foam-packs and disposable plates etc.

* The thicker gauge shopping, carrier and other bags would be widely re-used.

* There would be a significant reduction in the wastage of bags as done at all supermarkets. (packing several items into smaller bags and finally into a larger bag)

* Would make the collection for recycling easy.

* Would drastically reduce the quantity of raw materials imported into the country thereby saving millions of rupees in foreign exchange.

* It would stop the dumping of damaged and rejected thin types of bags into the local market by exporters at low prices which adversely affect genuine manufacturers.

* It would cause the closing down of most or all illegal and unauthorised polythene manufacturers who do not assist the state coffers in any way and should not be considered as legal manufacturing concerns. (Most wanting the ban lifted are in this category of illegal backyard type manufacturers using domestic power, water etc and pay no rates, taxes etc)

* It would stop the dumping of cheap raw materials into the local market to service the illegal manufacturers by exporters who obtain it at duty and tax-free prices. (The monitoring of materials imported into the country as for export is very poor and most exporters have a thriving trade in the illegal sale of raw materials into the local market. The several detection's made by the customs in this regard will vouch for same)

* This would enable the registered VAT and other tax paying manufacturers to serve the local market better and further assist the state coffers.

* The labour input for collection and cost of power for recycling would be lesser for the thicker gauge material and would also create further enthusiasm for the collection.

As the next step the Minister should follow up the ban with the following proposals in the greater interest of the manufacturers and the state.

* It should be made compulsory that every product should carry a price mark label with the name and address of the manufacturer with brand name and VAT number as this would call for product accountability and easy follow up by the tax and other authorities.

* The registration of all manufactures with the relevant Ministry and the import of raw materials be monitored.

* Regulation should be enacted to include a compulsory term of imprisonment against the Directors or Partners of any export company proven to have sold their duty free raw materials to the local market.

* Regulation should be enacted to include a compulsory term of imprisonment against the Directors or Partners of any export company proven to have sold their finished products or rejects made off from the duty free raw materials to the local market.

* Form an organisation of all registered manufactures inclusive of competent persons who have common sense and a good knowledge of the subject with an affiliation to the Ministry and have guidelines for the industry and take all further measures in their interest.

There have been a few small time manufacturers who have been calling for the lifting of the ban citing various reasons similar to the availability of alternative types of biodegradable materials etc.

These arguments have been on for some time and have failed to make any headway due to the fact that there is no mechanism to regulate and monitor such process or claims.

The addition of CaCo3 and certain other additives does certainly help in the degradation but it is at the cost of the strength and stability of the material concerned. In simple words a biodegradable lunch sheet with tear off like paper and would not serve its purpose due to the fact that such a thin gauge would no more be having a high molecular constitution for the required strength.

The loss of employment would be minimal due to the fact that the legal concerns will provide the sellers with the product whilst the workers at the illegal establishments could join the legal establishments.

The polythene industry in Sri Lanka has a parallel with the bootleg Industry which supplies a large share of the market with their illegal output sans any taxes etc whilst the legal concerns struggle to exist.

The irony is that there are people and concerns in this country who still agitate that these be allowed to continue for the sake of employment and loss of income for their robber barons etc.

The leading illegal manufacturers in both these trades are multi millioners who sport luxury life styles, vehicles, houses and other extravaganzas made possible only in a country like Sri Lanka thanks to its corrupt and poor enforcement mechanisms.

We wish to thank President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Minister Maithripala Sirisena for the bold step they have taken in the interest of the country, where their predecessors feared to tread or half tread and retracted for whatever reasons.