Major supermarket chains in the country have agreed to comply with the decision to ban all types of non-biodegradable lunch sheets from the 1st of August.
The Ministry of Environment said in a statement that supermarket operators agreed to the move during a discussion held with Subject Minister Mahinda Amaraweera.
During the discussion, the Environment Minister has detailed the environmental damage caused due to the use of non-biodegradable lunch sheets.
He had also informed that nearly 12 to 15 million lunch sheets are disposed to the environment on a daily basis.
According to the Environment Ministry, Sri Lanka is the only country that uses lunch sheets at present.
Although lunch sheets decompose in the soil within two to three years, it has been scientifically proven that the micro-plastic particles that accumulate in the soil due to lunch sheets last for more than 200 years.
Accordingly, the government recently announced that it will ban the production, distribution and the use of non-biodegradable lunch sheets from the 1st of August.
Supermarket chains will also be allowed to sell only biodegradable lunch sheets from next month.
