CEA claims raid led to recovery of banned polythene

By Ifham Nizam

The Southern Province Office of the Central Environmental Authority had seized 100 kilos of illegal polythene, mostly ‘lunch sheets’, CEA Chairman Supun S. Pathirage said yesterday.

The raid had been conducted on Monday in the Galle municipal limits, the CEA Chief said, adding that legal action would be taken against the shop owner under the provisions of the National Environment Act.

A CEA spokesperson said that the raid had been conducted on information received by the investigation department of the Central Environmental Authority’s head office.

She said that the sale, display, manufacture and use of illegal “polythene lunch sheets”, sachet packets of less than 20 grams or less than 20 ml, stuffed toys, cotton buds with plastic sticks and polythene products below 20 microns were prohibited by law under the National Environment Act and the Central Environment Authority is conducting continuous raids all over the island in this regard.

The Legal Division of the CEA pointed out that Gazette No. 2034/34 dated September 1, 2017 prohibited the production of food wrappers that are of polythene raw material for domestic use, the sale, offering for sale, free delivery, display or use of food wrappers produced using polythene raw material in the country.

It prohibits the manufacture, sale in the country, offering for sale, display, free giving or use of polythene of 20 microns or less in thickness for domestic use.

The Legal Division added that by Gazette No. 2211/51 dated 21st January 2021, sachets of a net volume equal to or less than 20 grams or 20 ml (excluding those used for packaging food and medicine), inflatable toys (balloons, balls, floats/ excluding toys and water sports equipment used in swimming pools); Manufacture and sale of plastic cotton buds (except plastic cotton buds used for medical/clinical treatment) is prohibited by law.)