JICA extends its support to recyclable waste flow in Sri Lanka

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) successfully held “Waste Flow & Recycle Industry Survey, and Information Dissemination Seminar” together with Central Environmental Agency (CEA). JICA has been conducting waste management project namely “Pollution Control and Reduction of Environmental Burden in Solid Waste Management” in Sri Lanka from February 2017 to February 2019. In cooperation with CEA, this project selected three local authorities, - Kurunegala Municipal Council, Ratnapura Municipal Council, and Kataragama Pradeshiya Sabha as pilot project sites, and have been carried out improvement work of their landfills, and promoting 3R activities (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) such as separate waste collection from households, shops and business offices at those pilot project sites. The more-than 250 participants from Sri Lankan central Government, Local Authorities, Recycle Industry, and Japanese Local Authority engaged in proactive discussions and had fruitful exchanges on the subject of recycling industry development policy, challenges and proper waste treatment system in Sri Lanka. Dr. Onuma, JICA Expert on Waste Management, explained in the seminar, “in terms of waste flow, it is important that local authorities properly hand over their recyclable wastes to the private recycling industry after the separate collection is being carried out. However, recycling industry is still a minor industry in Sri Lanka, as many of them are individual business owners, and it is not well identified what kind of waste treatment is done by them. Since many local authorities have started separate collection and recyclable waste, the recycling industry development policy needs to be considered in Sri Lanka as one of the next policy targets to promote appropriate waste disposal system in the country.” The JICA project continues to support Sri Lanka to improve the waste management in Sri Lanka by working closely with the people, community and all stakeholders involved. (Media Release)