Japanese technical help for environmental protection

The Japanese Government would help Sri Lanka to reduce the use of polythene and plastics and provide technical assistance in recycling them, the Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Hideaki Mizukoshi said.

He made the comments after meeting with the Environment Minister and the Ministry Secretary at the Ministry to discuss environmental issues after assuming his duties in Sri Lanka.

The Ambassador appreciated the programmes that are already in place to protect the environment, like reducing carbon emissions, reducing the use of plastics and polythene, and reducing the accumulation of polythene and plastics in the oceans by preventing the entry of polythene and plastics into the ocean under the Surakimu Ganga programme.

During the discussion, the Ambassador also spoke on the successful programmes currently in place for the recycling of polythene and plastics in Japan, as well as the new technology being used for this purpose.

He said that a team from Sri Lanka could be sent to Japan for this purpose and that they would be allowed to gain new technical knowledge and experience. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)