Producer responsibility in managing plastic packaging waste in Sri Lanka: A legal framework based on lessons learned from Germany

Abstract

The life cycle of plastic packaging ends in polluting the environment and negatively impacting wildlife, marine life, and human health. In Sri Lanka, manufacturers and distributors are not responsible for the end life cycle of plastic packaging under our domestic legislation. In 1991, Germany was the first country to introduce the legislative implemented "Extended Producer Responsibility" to the rest of the world through the German Packaging Ordinance. In 2016, Germany's domestic recycling rate was "65 percent," making it the world's "leading race" country (Singapore Environmental Council, 2018). Because Sri Lanka is a developing country, this study examines the various disposal options for plastic packaging waste, realising that Germany has much to teach Sri Lanka. Due to the lacuna in national policy in managing post-consumer plastic packaging waste, this study intends to examine the applicability of legislatively implemented Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Sri Lanka through the lessons learned from the German jurisdiction. Additionally, this qualitative study examines how lessons from Germany can be incorporated into the legal framework in Sri Lanka to manage plastic packaging and packaging waste better. National Environmental Act, Special Regulations published in the gazette are given more attention and analysed and discussed accordingly in identifying the lacuna in Sri Lanka's Jurisdiction in managing the end life cycle of post-consumer plastic packaging waste. The recommendations based on the findings through the in-depth literature reviews in this research form an implementation plan for plastic packaging waste policies in the domestic jurisdiction highlighting the mandatory final disposal and recovery of plastic packaging by manufacturers and distributors in Sri Lanka to ensure sustainable business practices.