Come September 1, an islandwide ban on polythene and plastic containers is to be imposed, signalling the beginning of the end of a long trail of pollution caused by these petroleum based products that have enveloped the country for the past several years.
Following the Health Minister’s call for a ban on the production, sale and distribution of polythene lunch sheets less than 20 microns by mid September, anti plastic activists have demanded that in addition to lunch sheets, other plastic items too be included.
The Central Environment Authority was quoted in a leading Sunday newspaper (July 20) as insisting that other plastic food containers such as, grocery bags, shopping bags and polystyrene food containers be also put on the list of banned products.
The Waste Management (Plastics) Director, Ajith Weerasundera has been quoted as saying that there would be no phase out period for the ban to be implemented. “ The ban has been approved by the Cabinet and will be implemented on September 1”, he reportedly said.
Studies have shown that 27% of the garbage collected from households contain polythene and polystyrene products. These products have contaminated our surroundings, affected marine, flora and animal life, and most significantly exposed human bodies to deadly poisons .
“They are petroleum based products. As such they are toxic and can harm any living being on this planet”, says former Head of the National Poisons Information Unit, Dr Waruna Gunathileke, who is now Consultant, National Eye Hospital, Colombo. “ The fact that they are non biodegradable and remain in the soil for up to 500 years, is one of the reasons we have outbreaks of so many different diseases, in recent years.”
He cites the current Dengue epidemic as one.
Speaking to the Sunday Observer last week, he said, “ Plastics and polythene act like a reservoir as water collects on their surface after a rainfall, making them ideal breeding grounds for the dengue carrying vector.
They also carry the risk of other serious diseases like cancer, especially, when they are incinerated, as they release toxins such as, Dioxyene and furon”, he warns. Besides all this, they are an environmental hazard. “
Floods
He also blames the recent unusual phenomenon of flooding in the urban areas, including Colombo, to the haphazard disposal of plastic and polythene.
“ When these lunch sheets and styrofoam lunch boxes are released into our drainage system and canals they can block these waterways and cause flooding.
Studies have shown that they have led to the disappearance of some of our rare marine life such as, turtles and fish which eat plastic discarded into the ocean as their food, and are dying as a result, he says. “ Even elephants have been found to have died of eating plastic”, he adds.
History
Briefly going back to the history of this now ubiquitous menace, he says, “When plastics first began to be used in Sri Lanka in the mid 1970s under our free open economy, no one imagined they would spread so rapidly and penetrate into the remotest areas of the country. At that time, they were hyped as a product that was versatile and convenient, and advertisements encouraged schoolchildren to use them to carry their books claiming that each thin sili sili bag could accommodate up to 25 kilos in weight. Soon, not only school kids but housewives and shopkeepers began using them for their groceries . So plastics became diversified. It became a profitable venture for manufacturers. They found new ways of using it in the market, especially, in the food industry which was then starting to flourish with ‘instant ‘ take away foods beginning to make their appearance. Products like Styrofoam Polystrene boxes became popular in cafes and restaurants.
Without realizing the drastic consequences of serving food in these petroleum based products filled with toxic chemicals to customers, café owners began parcelling up cooked food, fried food, gravy and even drinks, including hot tea, in plastic cups, plastic lunch sheets and Styrofoam boxes.
Deadly
“ Food like kottu roti when freshly cooked and served hot into a rigifoam box can become a deadly health hazard to the user”, says Dr Waruna. “ When the hot food touches directly the lunch sheet placed inside the box toxic chemicals are leached into the lunch sheet . If they have no option as most of these customers are office workers rushing home after work, tell them to ask the food handlers to wait till the food has cooled before they serve it on the lunch sheets. And, when taken home transfer the food immediately to a glass or ceramic plate or a stainless steel plate. Don’t reheat the food, especially, if it is still inside the styrofoam box with the plastic sheet inside it. That will multiply the bacteria several hundred times”. Nor should they be kept for later use in the fridge as this will only increase its toxic contaminants, as we live in a hot climate.”, he adds.
Coloured
He especially, cautions against the use of red, green, blue and other coloured sili sili bags to store food as they are recycled and can therefore be much more toxic than what he calls ‘ virgin white plastic sheets that have never been recycled. “ The more often they are recycled the more toxic they become as their chemical pollutants are released over and over again”, he notes. The problem here is that people have become dependent on these plastic products for their daily use. It is not that they are unaware of the dangers, as both, the Ministry of Health and our Unit have been raising awareness and educating the public of its hazards for a long time now.
The Poisons Information Unit was one of the pioneers in this islandwide awareness campaign but no one took us seriously then. Even now, it is not too late but people’s habits must change. We cant do this overnight. It will take time.”
So, what’s the solution?
Encourage them to switch to alternatives. Educate them on the importance of using environmentally friendly, compostable biodegradable papers and boxes which are now available and manufactured with a globally certified compostable and biodegradable bio resin. Or teach take away owners to use cardboard boxes that are biodegradable.
Get them to switch from plastic cups to paper cups or serve hot drinks in mugs or cups. Instead of plastic spoons use wooden spoons. As for the public, I would encourage them to pack their meals from home if possible in kehelkola ( banana leaves) . Unfortunately, this isn’t possible for long distance travellers. Housewives too can switch to alternatives used in the past, like a cloth malla or cane basket to carry their provisions instead of returning home carrying their provisions in a sili sili bag.”
Similar sentiments were also voiced by other anti plastic activists.
Such sentiments were voiced at the beginning of this year by Plastic Packaging Pte Ltd Chairman Mervyn Dias, who was quoted in our sister paper on January 19 as saying, that plastics had badly affected the environment. He reportedly suggested that the authorities educate polythene products manufacturers on the importance of using environmentally compostable and biodegradable papers. “These are internationally certified and conform to international standards for composting -European EN13432 and American D6400. They can be disposed in a home compost bin as well, although it will take a longer time to decompose”. He is also quoted as saying in answer to a question, on how to identify a compost bag from a plastic bag, that the former had a balloon effect while the latter did not have such an effect.
“ These biodegradable bags carry minimum health risks as they degenerate in the environment as the bacteria dissolves with water”, adds Dr Waruna. However , he reiterates, plastic is not essential to our daily needs. If they were, how did our ancestors live when these petroleum products were not even thought of?
Banana leaves
But, in the absence of alternatives, use biodegradable plastic. Or brown paper to wrap your fish. Or non printed paper where the ink won’t leach out. And carry your lunch in registered food grade plastic boxes only or better still in banana leaves.”
But my question is, why is it that almost all other countries are now banning plastics, including in the West. If third world countries like Nigeria and Bangladesh are now encouraging people to use traditional cloth bags or baskets made of rush and reed, why not Sri Lanka? he asks. In US several states have stopped producing plastics of any form.
“ It is important that biodegradable reusable and photo degradable material be used to wrap food. This way we can push out non biodegradable polythene /polystyrene from our markets”.
Consumer resistance.
But, for that we need consumer resistance, he reiterates. “ Consumer resistance is crucial. They can give the message to manufacturers by boycotting polysterne and polythene products. When consumer consumption patterns change the manufacturers too will change in response to new demands”. He laments that the chief obstacle to preventing the eradication of the plastic menace in the country is the fact that a few powerful people control this flourishing business.
Plastic mafia
To keep their businesses flourishing (the plastics industry today is a huge business) they say the country cannot move forward unless they keep abreast with new technology. My question is, why is it that almost all other countries are now banning plastics, including in the West and even China and Japan and not we? In the US several states have stopped producing plastics of any form. Why? Ask any of their health experts and the answer will be the same: Plastics are chemicals and their toxic fall out is extremely dangerous for humans , animals, marine life and the environment”.
Views of Food and Packaging industry
Meanwhile, with just one month to go before the deadline, several sources from the packaging industry speaking on grounds of anonymity, said that the ban would affect the industry badly.
A spokesman for the Sri Lanka Institute of Packaging industry says, “The ban will definitely affect the small business sector who manufactures these products, using small machines. Some purchase these products on bulk and sell them at retail.
The people who sell lunch packets will be affected too.” Industrialists also blamed the government for failing to introduce a proper waste disposal mechanism saying that even if plastics were banned, as long as waste disposal continued, the problem would still exist.
Zero waste
Indeed, Solid Waste Management continues to be a major challenge for local municipal authorities. Local recycling plants complain they have to clean and sort recyclable refuse which adds to the cost of recycling. Here again the solution lies with educating residents and motivating them to sort out their waste before disposal, especially, materials such as glass, metal, from disposable paper and cardboard, and food waste.
Ultimately, the final solution lies with the consumer.
“ If the consumer decides he will not allow any plastics to be used in his house for any purpose, especially, for food storage and consumption, in order to protect his health and that of his family, then this dangerous trend of diseases driven by the plastic industry will be minimized”, says Dr Waruna.