Solid Waste Management in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Solid waste management in Sri Lanka is a curial issue but it has been abridged by improvements in waste collection system and awareness programs. As the country’s population is increasing, the waste generation is also increasing. Hence, formulation of a sustainable solid waste management system has become crucial. More than 60 % of the solid waste generated is organic in nature. The prevailing MSW treatment and disposal methods are open dumping, landfilling, composting, anaerobic digestion and incineration. In terms with 3R, there are 2 notable programs that are National Post-consumer Plastic Waste Management Program and “Pilisaru” Waste Management Program. The national government is taking steps at policy level to tackle the problem of waste management in Sri Lanka and it also collaborated with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and United States Agency for International Development–United States-Asia Environmental Partnership (USAID–USAEP) to improve the situation in the country. Although the policy documentation has no inference to waste to energy (WTE) projects, particularly with landfill bioreactors and Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) with a view to developing Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) approaches, but ISWM is believed to be the right of way forward for sustainable solid waste management systems in the country.