Recycled dustbins

YANGON City Development Committee is continuing its program of producing recycled dustbins from discarded plastic bags, said YCDC official U Aung Myint Maung.
“We can produce about 50 dustbins a day. To produce that amount, 1400 pounds of plastic are needed,” he said.
According to YCDC data, Yangon produces about 1500 tonnes of rubbish every day, 20 percent of which consists of plastic bags. The dustbins are for sale at the YCDC office on 38th Street in downtown Yangon, for K1000 for 10-inch-diameter and K5000 for 16-inch, he said.
“By using recycled materials we can help save our environment,” U Aung Myint Maung said. – Than Htike Oo

Expired drugs

THE Myanmar Pharmaceutical and Medical Equipment Entrepreneurs’ Association has called on drug distributors to cooperate with plans to hold a ceremony to destroy expired pharmaceutical products this month.
“Pharmaceutical sellers should notify us when they notice that the expiration date of their products is approaching,” said Dr Maung Maung Lay, an adviser for the association.
“We plan to hold a ceremony to destroy expired pharmaceuticals in early March and we invite all pharmaceutical importers, distributors, retailers and wholesalers to contribute outdated products,” he said, adding that the exact date of the ceremony and the amount of drugs to be destroyed will be announced in coming weeks.
Dr Maung Maung Lay said the association has held ceremonies to destroy pharmaceuticals twice a year in Yangon, Mandalay and other cities across the country.
The last ceremony in Yangon was held in August at Mingalar Market in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township. About K3 million worth of expired drugs, mostly imported from Thailand and China, were destroyed.
Mingalar Market is the main distribution point for imported pharmaceuticals in Myanmar. – Zaw Win Than