The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a series of measures to minimize the use of polythene and plastic within the highly sensitive Sri Pada ecosystem during the annual pilgrimage season.
The Sri Pada pilgrimage season lasts for six months from December each year, during which large quantities of both decaying and non-decomposing waste are generated by pilgrims and visitors, according to Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa. As Sri Pada is a protected area under the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance, effective waste management has become an urgent necessity.
Accordingly, the Cabinet approved a proposal submitted by the Minister of Environment to curb polythene and plastic use in the area. Under the approved measures, the Ministry of Environment will implement several restrictions during the pilgrimage season.
These include banning the sale and carrying of polyethylene wrappers such as lunch sheets, shopping bags made of high-density polythene, sachet packets, expanded polystyrene food containers, single-use straws, mixers, cups, plates, spoons, forks, and knives within the Sri Pada area. The carrying of single-use plastic water bottles and soft drink bottles of less than one litre capacity will also be prohibited.
The disposal of polythene, plastic covers, food waste, pharmaceutical waste, or any other goods within the highly sensitive environmental zone will be strictly banned. In addition, the pollution of water fountains and waterways, including the disposal of plastic and polythene waste into them, will not be permitted.
Responsibility for managing waste generated from food and other goods sold in plastic packaging will be entrusted to the respective owners of sales outlets operating within the environmentally sensitive zone. Business owners will also be required to transport polythene and plastic waste generated from the construction and maintenance of sales stalls outside the Sri Pada sensitive area and hand it over to the relevant Urban Council or Pradeshiya Sabha for final disposal.
