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| Sunday, 24 July 2005 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Lanka's degradable shopping bags for Malta by Ananda Kannangara A large consignment of degradable printed shopping bags, manufactured by Plastic Pakaging (Pvt) Ltd, Ratmalana will be exported to Malta shortly. This is the first occasion that a consignment of degradable shopping bags will be exported from Sri Lanka to leading supermarkets in Malta. The high quality degradable film, which is used to make these bags is manufactured after a lab test is done by Rapra Ltd. of the United Kingdom. The resin which is used for manufacturing the bags is imported from Singapore and Thailand while the degradable master batch (additive) is imported from the USA. The additive is mixed with the normal polythene in different percentages to control the degradable time period. These degradable bag/plastics undergo a two step degradation, initially by an oxidative process that is promoted by the inclusion of catalytic additives and subsequently by bio-degration. In an interview with the Sunday Observer Chairman, Plastic Pakaging (Pvt) Ltd, Mervyn Dias said that the degradation time period can be controlled as per customer requirements. "Manufacturing degradable bags was started by our company in May 2003 and the first container shipment was sent to the UK after a few months," he said. He said bags in large quantities were also exported to Australia during the past few months. Dias said that securing new markets overseas in the coming months for degradable polythene bags will also help to generate new employment opportunities for local youth. "We also have to focus our attention towards new orders from Canada and our regular buyers in the UK," he said. Dias said in case a ban is imposed on the use of polythene bags and sheets in our country in the future, environmentally safe alternatives must also be implemented at the same time. These degradable polythene bags will return to the soil fast and complete the disintegration process he said. (For more information access www.ppsrilanka.com). |
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