Rangoon (Mizzima) – Though authorities have order factories from ceasing production of High Density Polythene (HDPE) plastic bags by the end of November, factory owners in Rangoon appealed the Rangoon Division Peace and Development Council (PDC) to allow  them to continue production.

Sources said, factory owners are into negotiations with local authorities for letting them continue production, saying they were given a short notice and they are left with a lot of raw materials in stock.

Local authorities summoned factory owners from about 150 HDPE polythene bag units in Rangoon municipality at their office on October 15. The ban was announced and the deadline was set for 30 November. And factories wishing to produce recyclable plastic bags are required to apply for a new license from the civic body.

According to statistics of the municipality in 2008, the volume of plastic waste in former capital Rangoon was nearly 200 tons per day, while wastes of other metals and electrical appliances account for nearly 150 tons daily.

Factory owners submitted their appeal letter to the divisional municipal body. They proposed the authorities to allow them to continue production and promising that they will be using decomposition technology, within two years.

The factory owners also said they are now applying for import license for machineries to produce wood-substitute fibre by using plastic bag waste and wood waste with the decomposition technology.

Factory owners alleged that the Rangoon Divisional PDC had called them separately to their office and asked for money to allow them to continue production.

The factory owners allegedly paid between Kyat 50 million (US $ 50,000 approximately) to 400 million based on the duration of continuation of production. However, they declined to give further details.

The ban on non-biodegradable and non-eco friendly HDPE plastic bags has already been implemented in Burma’s new Jungle capital city of Naypyitaw and the country’s ancient capital city of Mandalay.