Sri Lanka, May 16 — The Environmental Justice Center (CEJ) has submitted a Fundamental Rights petition to the Supreme Court, requesting an order that forces the Government to implement a tax on single-use plastic and polythene shopping bags to address increasing environmental pollution.
The petition was reviewed by a three-judge panel led by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, who scheduled the case for consideration on November 3. The applicants are requesting a directive compelling the appropriate authorities to promptly create and enforce a government-imposed tax on single-use plastic and polythene bags.
They also asked that the income generated by this charge be directed into a specific public fund solely intended for environmental conservation, waste disposal, recycling programs, and the application of the globally accepted “polluter pays” concept.
In their application, the applicants mentioned that plastic items, such as polyethylene shopping bags and lunch sheets or food packaging, are commonly utilized in Sri Lanka for daily activities. Nevertheless, they emphasized that polythene, although practical and widely used, has emerged as a significant factor in environmental damage, animal fatalities, threats to human health, and other detrimental effects on natural systems.
The applicants also mentioned that recycling polythene continues to pose a significant problem in Sri Lanka, with concerning amounts of used plastic being released into the environment every day.
Emphasizing the magnitude of the worldwide emergency, the signatories mentioned that the typical plastic shopping bag found in supermarkets lasts roughly 12 minutes before being thrown away. After being discarded, these bags block drainage systems and storm-water channels, lead to flooding, ensnare sea creatures, and result in the death of approximately 100,000 marine mammals each year.
They also cautioned that plastic waste gradually decomposes into harmful microplastics, polluting seas and landfills for as long as 1,000 years.
