Litter-free Sri Lanka by 2012

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has been allocated Rs. 6 billion by the government to speed up its island-wide waste management programme, Pilisaru. The programme, the first of its kind to be introduced in the island, is aimed at a litter-free Sri Lanka by 2012.

Pilisaru is focused on solid waste disposal with an enhanced participatory action plan on waste management. The programme requires the integration of Local Government bodies, provincial councils and provincial ministries with the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry, for effective and efficient waste management. This involves collecting, transporting, processing, recycling and disposing of waste materials.

A sum of over Rs. 17 million was distributed among officials of 18 selected local government bodies recently to activate the initial phase of Pilisaru. This took place at the Auditorium of Central Environment Authority, which will be a main actor in supervising the programme.

The 18 local bodies are expected to manage 65 tonnes of solid waste in their respective localities and thereby to reduce 16 tonnes of environmentally harmful methane or waste gas from being released to the atmosphere, thus establishing methodical control over carbon emissions to an estimated 352 tonnes.

The Ministry is taking steps to put up seven mega(very large) composting facilities in the Kalutara, Colombo, Gampaha, Anuradhapura and Kandy districts under the programmes.