The Great Plastic Bag Farce !

Everyone seems to be jumping on the latest bandwagon — the rule that stops shops from giving plastic bags free of charge. So, I thought I’d jump on it too and toss in my two cents.

First off, let me be clear: reducing the use of plastic bags — with or without handles — is a good thing. The environment needs all the help it can get. No argument there.

But here’s what puzzles me: how on earth is charging for plastic bags supposed to reduce their use? If someone needs a bag, they’ll pay for it. A few rupees aren’t going to make anyone suddenly become eco-friendly. It just makes the customer pay for what used to be free.

And then there are the pea-brains trying to give credit to the present government. Let’s be real — this wasn’t their bright idea. They were forced to act on a court order, not driven by environmental passion.

My family and I have been using a couple of sturdy jute bags for our shopping for years — long before these latecomers even realized plastic was bad for the planet. It’s not rocket science.

Now, to those who believe higher prices automatically mean lower consumption, here’s a simple reality check. Take two of the biggest names on the Colombo Stock Exchange: Ceylon Tobacco Company and Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka.

Ceylon Tobacco dishes out dividends at least four times a year, and Distilleries twice. And every budget, it’s the same old story — the Finance Minister hikes taxes on cigarettes and alcohol, supposedly to “reduce use.” Yet both companies keep making massive profits year after year. So clearly, price hikes haven’t stopped anyone from smoking or drinking.

Expecting a few-rupee charge on plastic bags to magically cut usage is the same kind of wishful thinking.

Yes, plastic use must come down — no question about it. But let’s not pretend this half-baked policy is anything more than a political gimmick. What Sri Lanka needs are real solutions — promoting reusable alternatives, improving recycling, and raising awareness — not cheap publicity stunts dressed up as environmental reform.

Until then, this “plastic bag policy” is nothing but another headline-grabber — more about politics than planet.