Feb 08, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government will draft regulations to control and monitor the refuse tea and tea waste to prevent malpractices in tea trade.

Minister of Plantation Industries Mahinda Samarasinghe had proposed the drafting of new laws relating to refuse tea and several waste grades.

The Cabinet of ministers has allowed referring the matter to a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Legislation chaired by Minister of Environment and Renewable Energy Susil Premajayantha, for its recommendations.

Regulations will be drafted on control and monitoring of Refuse Tea, Reclaimed Tea, Absolute Refuse, Grade Broken Mixed Fanning (BMF) and Tea Waste and on control and monitoring of handling and dealing of Bin Teas.

Refuse tea is a by-product resulted in the process of converting green leaf into the final tea.

Sri Lanka Police have nabbed several unscrupulous traders with stocks of waste tea that was intended to be mixed with good quality tea.

Sri Lanka has tightened operations against the attempts to bring down the quality of Pure Ceylon Tea by blending good quality tea with waste tea.