All polythene product manufacturers should label their products with information such as license number of the Environment Protection Authority, registration number, name and address of the manufacturing company, thickness in microns, length and width of the product in millimeters and the product’s generic name.
Polythene production factories mushroomed in the island during the recent past. Before Sri Lanka imposed ban on less than 20 micron polythene in 2007, there were around less than 300 hundred factories. The number increased around ten fold after the ban as the polythene manufacturing became a cottage industry. According to the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), there are only a very few eco-friendly bag producing factories in the country.
Central Environmental Authority and the Consumer Affairs Authority are monitoring the polythene manufacturing and sales.Last year they raided and prosecuted nearly 30 factory owners last year, for selling polythene below 20 microns.
