COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will ban several plastic products from June, a spokesman said here on Tuesday.

Cabinet spokesman Bandura Gunawardena told a press conference that as proposed by the minister of environment, the production, importation, selling and use of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers, plates, cups (excluding yoghurt cups), knives, spoons (including yoghurt spoons), forks, plastic flower garlands, and string hopper trays will not be allowed in Sri Lanka from June, Xinhua News Agency reported.

He said banning these items was recommended by a panel of experts appointed in August 2021, in order to study the effects of plastic waste on the environment and wildlife.

Sri Lanka banned non-biodegradable plastic bags in 2017.

Gunawardena said there have been reports of elephant and deer deaths due to the injection of plastic waste.

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