Save the elephant! Sri Lanka prohibits disposable plastics
The Sri Lankan government announced on February 14 that it would ban the use of disposable plastic products. Previously, a series of wild elephants and deer died of plastic poisoning in the country.
Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesman and media minister, Bandura Gunawadner, said that the production or sale of plastic tableware, mixing pots and fake flowers would be banned from June 2023.
The move was recommended by a group appointed 18 months ago to study the impact of plastic waste on the environment and wildlife.
Due to the fear of flash floods, Sri Lanka banned the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags in 2017.
Two years ago, the country began to ban the import of plastic tableware, food packaging and toys. Previously, a large number of elephants and deer died after foraging in the open-air dump in the northeast of Sri Lanka.
