Sri Lanka bans use of single-use plastics to save elephants

According to cabinet spokesperson and Minister of Communications, Bandula Gunawardana, the manufacture and sale of plastic products such as cutlery, cups, artificial flowers, among others, will be banned from June.

The measure meets the recommendations made by a committee of experts, appointed in 2021 to study the impact of plastic waste on the environment and fauna in the country.

Non-biodegradable plastic bags have been banned since 2017 due to concerns about flash flooding.

The import of plastic cutlery, cups, food packaging and even toys has been banned since 2021 following several deaths of elephants and deer in the northeast of the island. These animals fed in open dumps. 😔

According to necropsies, they had ingested plastic mixed with food remains.

Despite this, local manufacturing and sale of disposable products continued.

The highest authority in Sri Lanka on Asian elephants, Jayantha Jayewardene, welcomed the move, but said the ban should also apply to biodegradable plastic bags.

(To AFP)

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