Abstract:
Although plastics have made the workings of our lives easier, it has
created many different environmental and social problems due to
poor management practices. The problem of plastic waste has
been exacerbated due to various regulations that have been
introduced from time to time for the sustainable management of
plastic waste. However, those are not properly implemented. The
main objective of this study is to examine the best practices in Sri
Lanka for the management of plastic waste, including shopping
bags and lunch sheets (PBLS). Further, the study illustrated the
prevailing and possible alternatives for polythene products in Sri
Lanka and weaknesses in the identification of alternatives. The
study was conducted in the Western Province covering three
districts: Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara. Data collection was
conducted through different structured questionnaire surveys, key
informant interviews and a major workshop from a sample of
1314 respondents. Results revealed that 59% of households in the
survey confirm that they were discouraged from switching to
alternatives as a result of freely available low-density polyethylene
(LDPE) bags in the market. Also, 67% of the households and 74%
of the supermarkets pointed out that, the current polythene bag
usage was higher prior to the ban, due to the poor strength and
quality of the bag. Further, the study reveals that ‘Extended
Producer Responsibility (EPR)’ has the potential to influence
material management systems and prevent pollution and has been
successfully tested in many countries around the world.
