Sri Lanka, Oct. 10 -- The recently issued extraordinary gazette mandates that retailers can no longer distribute plastic shopping bags for free from November 1, 2025, which is a welcome move in principle, due to the serious harm posed by the bags to the environment. However, by tagging a price on all plastic shopping bags, can the environmental damage caused be reversed?

Not all citizens in Sri Lanka possess the luxury of owning a vehicle, and many do their grocery shopping at different times. Some even at the time of returning from work. Are they expecting them to carry fabric bags in their handbags? Instead of encouraging reusable alternatives, imposing a charge for each polythene bag used to carry goods purchased would create an added...