Letters to the Editor
View(s):How to tackle the problem of plastic
As the news item, ‘Plastic Pollution, YZA hits out’ in the Sunday Times of June 11 points out, the Young Zoologists Association (YZA) is correct that the officials are doing only lip service to curtail the issue. Though non-bio degradable polythene bags were banned over five years ago, they are plentiful in the market. I would propose the following measures to tackle the issue.
PET bottles
Legislation should be brought that the minimum size of PET bottles should be 1 litre. All water and soft drink manufacturers should discontinue rolling out smaller bottles. Glass bottles can replace these sizes. Secondly, all water and beverage companies should have plastic bottle collection centres in every major town, with smaller bins made of steel net placed in congested places for collection.
All manufacturers should follow this as a CSR initiative. I have seen a few collection centres but they are not sufficient for the large PET bottles that are in circulation. In the absence of waste bins, people throw plastics on to the streets and into drains. Every Municipality and town council should also have smaller bins for plastic waste only, as found in the West and West Asian countries.
Polythene bags
Officials should plug the production points that are still rolling out non-bio degradable bags. They also need to raid the retailers to confiscate these items and find the source. Like in the good old days, people should be encouraged to carry baskets or cloth bags when marketing. Paper bags need to be introduced for textile and other lightweight items.
Though the Supreme Court ruling banned charging for shopping bags in Sri Lanka, in many countries, especially in the UAE this rule has come into force since 2022. As a result, a lot of reuse and recycling is happening with a substantial reduction in plastic bag usage.
Polythene lunch sheets
This too is supposed to have been banned, but packing food in polythene sheets is still going on unabated. Strict action has to be taken in this regard as packing hot food items in polythene is detrimental for health due to the release of toxic contents. Birds and animals that eat the leftover food along with the polythene are also affected.
Encourage packing of food in banana, lotus or any other suitable leaf or plant based item. Further people could take tiffin boxes for food bought as take away from restaurants. Restaurants can reduce the price by 10-50 rupees for clients who bring their own containers.
Yoghurt spoons/ straws
Instead of plastic spoons, manufacturers of yoghurt/ ice cream etc should look for alternatives such as cardboard spoons/ paper straws. Best is to explore the possibility of making spoons using coconut palm or palmyrah leaves. Palmyrah leaves are strong as well. Similarly drinking straws can be made from coconut leaves. This technology invented by an Indian professor in Bangalore is 100% biodegradable and the straws are also being exported to other countries successfully. Sri Lanka with ample coconut palms all over the country has to look into this technology. These can also be exported to many countries who prefer non-plastic materials.
I am saddened to see that even pilgrims to Sri Pada throw away plastics haphazardly. Notice boards should be placed everywhere and polluters fined and prosecuted. Bins made out of steel net also have to be placed at regular distances for people to dispose of the plastic waste safely. Otherwise such pristine mountainous areas will become a den of plastics and heavy rains will push most of it into the waterways.
We are now consuming microplastics via salt, fish etc, all because of the inaction of the authorities and ignorance of the masses. The alarming levels of cancer patients nowadays is one indication of the damage plastic pollution is causing. Schools have to educate children from a young age to dispose of plastic waste properly. The toxic effects of burning plastics or the damages caused by throwing these away on roads or in fields or drains should be explained via print/ TV/ Radio media continuously. Municipalities and town councils have to put up warning boards that those who litter will be fined and punished.
Let’s wake up now as we cannot rely on the usual lip service of politicians and bureaucrats to protect our future and health from toxic pollution.
N. Wijen Via email
The fate that awaits two historic buildings
I was perturbed to read in the Sunday Times that it was the intention of the President to shift both the Prime Minister’s and the President’s residences to Kotte together with their respective offices. Certainly, Kotte should be the administrative capital, but why shift their residences?
It is unclear what their fate would be – tourist attractions or hotels. If it is the former, it can be done at any time; even Buckingham Palace has been open to tourists twice weekly from the 1990’s.
These iconic buildings have a long and distinguished history and were built during the Dutch period in the late 1700’s. The President’s House was the private residence of the last Dutch Governor, Van Angelbeek.
It was sold by his son to the British. Sir Thomas Maitland was the first British Governor to occupy it.
Temple Trees was built and occupied by Count Von Ranzow, the third cousin of King George the 3rd of England. He wielded considerable influence during the period of Dutch occupation. It has been the official residence of our Prime Ministers from 1948.
These buildings have been well maintained, and have an aura of graciousness which adds stature to their occupants. It is unthinkable that the rulers of this country should shift to anonymous modern constructions.
It’s sacriligious, to say the least! It is akin to shifting the White House to somewhere in Maryland!
Further on in the article, the Minister of Urban Development makes specific mention of an investor from Georgia. Georgia was originally a part of Russia. It is now a cash-strapped independent state, heavily dependent on international funding, with an unstable Government! Beware of the Greeks bearing gifts.
Premini Amerasinghe Nawala
Get our house in order before trying to woo investors
High officials in the Government, whenever they get an opportunity, either here in Sri Lanka or abroad, summon prospective investors and businessmen for a conference and shower them with beautiful words about Sri Lanka to convince them that it is one of the best countries to invest and set up a business in. This exercise is, no doubt, part of the duty of any Government.
But what is the reality? It seems that we are doing things to discourage investors.
Look at the red tape potential investors face and the unending paper work to be completed. Then there are the colossal bribes demanded at every stage of the process.
The irony is that some businessmen who invested here have taken away their businesses to other countries.
We should put our house in order first before we try to woo investors.
B. Joseph Hendala
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