Minimizing single use plastic is vital for a sustainable future

Single use plastic is considered one of the greatest challenges in managing environment pollution in the world today; single use plastic is said to last well over a century whilst polluting water sources and causing long term environmental hazards.

Experts believe that over 50% of the plastic produced in the world belong to the single use category and will cause damage to landfills, oceans and the entire environment over time.

It is estimated that in Sri Lanka, where single use plastic items such as straws, yoghurt spoons and sachet packs are widely used, 10 % of municipal waste consists of isopolyethylene plastic which belong to the single use category. That’s not all; Sri Lanka was ranked 05th in a list of countries that release plastic and polythene waste to the ocean in 2017.

Plastic waste generation in Sri Lanka is estimated at 1.59 MMT/year while mismanaged plastic is estimated at 5% ; the burden of this is already on the country and the people as we will continue to see a greater impact on the environment primarily from single use plastic which are already choking waterways and the oceans.

As more and more organizations express their commitment to minimizing the usage of single use plastic, Sri Lanka’s leading direct selling company, Global Lifestyle Lanka believes that a firm committed towards not using single use plastic throughout their operations is a vital one to follow and adhere to.

The Company believes that choosing the use of sustainable products in place of single use plastic is critical in managing our environmental damage.

Sri Lanka has also started re-processing of plastic to mitigate the damage; processing of plastic is already taking place with over 400 companies active in the space with Rs 13 billion invested in re-processing of plastic in the island.

Single use plastic consists of polymers that are HDPE, LDPE, PET, PP, PS and EPS and have the capacity to be absorbed easily into the ocean, rivers and earth fills, causing silent but lethal damage that will outlast entire generations.

Single use plastic also includes various plastic streams such as imported raw material, imported products, plastic components, semi-finished products, packaging, waste generated by airlines, ports, shipping etc and free flowing marine debris.

With industrial activity widely present in the Western Province, sources point out that single use plastic wastage is greater in the Western Province. The Western Province Waste Management Authority is entrusted with managing the plastic waste generated in the province.

Although Sri Lanka has taken steps to ban many kinds of single use plastic items, the commitment towards minimizing single use plastics must come from the people themselves.

Unless as a nation we take steps to ensure an individual commitment towards reducing and over time totally phase out single use plastics, our future generations will be impacted by the pollution the single use plastics cause in the environment.