• The major advantage of these coffins is that they cause less pollution, It takes around half an hour for a wooden coffin to be fully burnt whereas card board coffins can be fully burnt in five minutes
• Around 200 trees require to be felled to obtain wood for wooden coffins daily

By Yohan Perera

The COVID 19 pandemic has brought about a high demand for cardboard coffins, Member of Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipal Council Priyantha Sahabandu said yesterday.

Sahabandu who is the pioneer of the project which has already been launched by the Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipal Council told Daily Mirror that Dehiowita, Pelmadulla, Warakapola, Beliatta Pradeshiya Sabhas have requested for consignments of these coffins. A Businessman from Jaffna also called me and wanted 100 coffins. I also had a call from the Natthandiya Pradeshiya Sabha, he said.

The major advantage of these coffins is that they cause less pollution, It takes around half an hour for a wooden coffin to be fully burnt whereas card board coffins can be fully burnt in five minutes. Therefore the amount of gas used in crematoriums is reduced when cremation of bodies are carried out in cardboard coffins. Also an average of 400 people die of other causes other than COVID-19 daily. Around 200 trees are felled to obtain wood for coffins daily.

Therefore cardboard coffins are environmentally friendly, Sahabandu said, Asked whether the undertakers will welcome this change , he said they would as they still can earn a profit out of cardboard coffins,They can add value to it, he said. Cardboard coffins are given free of charge by the Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipal Council at the moment. The project was put to the Municipal Council by Sahabandu in 2019 before the pandemic became prevalent in China.

• The amount of gas used in crematoriums is reduced when cremation of bodies are carried out in cardboard coffins