Myanmar to produce energy from plastic waste

Japan will help Myanmar produce energy from plastic waste disposed daily in Yangon, sources with the Yangon division administration said yesterday.

City dwellers are being advised to dispose their plastic waste separately so as to enable burning of them for the purpose.

Myanmar has started banning use of small and thin plastic bags in a number of cities since June this year, first in the second largest city of Mandalay and then the tourist site of Bagan and the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw.

The authorities seized and destroyed a total of 321 kg small and thin plastic bags from five townships in Mandalay and confiscated and destroyed a total of 297 kg of such bags from markets in Nay Pyi Taw.

In Yangon, although formal ban on using the small and thin plastic bags is not yet in place, the authorities have ordered plastic producers to stop such production, setting an ultimatum for the end of November.

At the request of the producers, the authorities extended the ultimatum to another four months for stopping plastic bag production under a system which will monitor if the companies will abide by the policy of reduce, reuse and recycle of plastic over the extended period.

Meanwhile, it launched a program of collecting disposed plastic bags in the city and re-using them in production of plastic pipes as part of its bid in environment conservation. There is a total of 146 plastic industries in Yangon and disposal of used plastic bags in the city amounted to 200 tons per day.

The authorities have urged the public to re-use paper bag, cloth bag, banana leaf and tree leaf instead in packing grocery.

A total of 31 million tons of used plastic bags in the former capital city were disposed annually, the municipal authorities disclosed.

Meanwhile, the program of creating plastic-free zones is also being extended to Myitgyina and Sagaing in northwestern part of the country.

Myanmar people have been widely and traditionally using small and thin plastic bags for packing things and even food in markets and restaurants as well as packing rubbish for throwing, building up a large amount of garbage daily for disposal. Xinhua