The Supreme Court has been informed that a gazette notification is expected to be issued by November 1, making it mandatory to charge a fee for plastic shopping bags, so they can no longer be given free of charge.

The announcement by the Minister of Environment and other respondents during the hearing of a fundamental rights petition filed by the Centre for Environmental Justice, which requested a court order to implement a program to reduce the use of polythene due to the environmental damage it causes.

A motion related to the case submitted by the Centre for Environmental Justice was taken up today before a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, Justice Kumudini Wickremasinghe and Justice Sampath Abeykoon.

The motion stated that, on March 28, 2024, the then Minister of Environment and other respondents had expressed agreement before the Supreme Court to take steps to impose a fee on shopping bags provided to consumers by supermarkets and other businesses, in order to reduce their use.

Dr. Ravindranath Dabare, the attorney representing the Centre for Environmental Justice, informed Court that this motion had to be submitted because the respondents had not taken action according to that agreement.

At the hearing, Deputy Solicitor General Dr. Avanthi Perera, representing the respondents stated that a gazette notification is expected to be issued to enable charging a fee for shopping bags starting November 1.

The Centre for Environmental Justice agreed with this update, and accordingly, the case was ordered to be concluded.