The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) has called on the Government to urgently implement the tax on single-use plastics, as outlined in the Supreme Court case No. SCFR 220/21.
CEJ Chairperson Hemantha Withanage has addressed the issue in a letter sent to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
In his letter, Withanage has highlighted the mounting environmental problem of plastic waste in Sri Lanka, noting that an estimated 20 million plastic bags are discarded every day, along with other plastic waste. This vast accumulation of plastic is causing significant harm to the environment and public health.
While a conservation levy on plastic bags was introduced in 2008, its implementation was stalled by a ruling in the SCFR 368/2008 case. In response, the CEJ, led by Withanage, filed a Fundamental Rights Petition (No. SCFR 220/21) on July 20, 2021, calling on the Government to enforce procedures that would reduce polyethylene production and encourage consumers to cut back on single-use plastics.
In March 2024, a settlement was reached in the case, where the Government, the Consumer Affairs Authority, the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), and other stakeholders agreed to introduce a tax on single-use plastic shopping bags. This tax was intended as a solution to the ongoing plastic pollution crisis.
However, despite the court settlement, the previous government’s inaction prevented the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury from setting up the fund to implement the tax. As a result, the decision remains unexecuted. While the Consumer Affairs Authority lifted a 2008 ban on charging for plastic bags, no surcharge was enforced, leaving shopkeepers to profit without contributing to the environmental costs.
The CEJ believes that implementing the proposed tax could significantly reduce plastic waste.
