(UTV | COLOMBO) – Traders will be given a grace period to clear the remaining stocks of items made of polythene and plastic, the use of which will be prohibited from 31 March, 2021.
According to a Gazette Extraordinary issued by the Minister on 21 January, the use of several polythene and plastic packing materials has been banned from use for any process, trade or industry after 31 March, 2021.
This includes Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) or Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) materials used for packing agro-chemicals, sachets having less than or equal to a net volume of 20 milligrams or net weight of 20 grams (Except for packing food and medicines), inflatable toys (Except balloons, balls, water floating/pool toys, and water sports gear) and cotton buds with plastic stems (Except plastic cotton buds used for medical or clinical treatment).
These regulations cited as the National Environmental (Plastic Material Identification Standards) Regulations No. 1 of 2021 have been made by the Environment Minister under Section 32 of the National Environmental Act No. 47 of 1980.