Sri Lanka's War on Waste: 7,000 Raids Target Illegal Plastic Manufacturing in 2023

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Central Environment Authority (CEA) has launched a major crackdown on illegal plastic and polythene production, filing cases against 180 manufacturers in 2023 alone.

This comes on the heels of 7,146 raids conducted throughout the year, targeting establishments suspected of violating the ban on certain types of plastic and polythene products.

Ajith Wirasundara, Director General of the CEA's Waste Management Unit highlighted the broader scope of the authority's activities, emphasizing that "since 2018, the CEB inspected 37,181 institutions and filed cases against 2,357 of them for violations related to banned plastics."

The Sri Lankan government has implemented a comprehensive plastic and polythene ban in phases since 2017.

In 2023, the Sri Lankan government announced 14 that non-biodegradable single-use plastic products are to be banned in the country.

Non-biodegradable plastic bags have been banned in Sri Lanka since 2017, and the import of cutlery, cups and food packaging has also been banned since 2021.