This report presents the challenges faced and opportunities revealed through a study of two cases of source-segregated waste collection by local authorities in Sri Lanka; Moratuwa Municipal Council, in Colombo, and Kataragama Pradeshiya Sabha, in Monaragala for the purpose of raising planning and decision making capacities not only in Sri Lanka but...
This case study report examines the establishment and evolution of plastic waste recycling under two different operational modalities in urban areas of Sri Lanka; 1) single municipal operation, and 2) PPP (Public Private Partnership) based operation. This report provides an analysis of each modality in terms of effectiveness, technical feasibility...
This report presents three case studies in the context of centralised large-scale composting facilities in Sri Lanka in order to reveal the factors and approaches that led to positive results under different type of operational modality, i.e., 1) single municipal operation, 2) provincial operation, and 3) joint consortium operation (operated by two...
Negombo City is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in Sri Lanka. It is the major commercial and transport centre, and main health service provider for the region. However, municipal solid waste management is a pressing concern for Negombo due to expanding urbanization, increasing income, lack of public awareness, changes in...
Pollution caused by the irresponsible disposal of plastics is a significant issue, particularly in developing countries like Sri Lanka. It is estimated that only 9% of all plastics ever produced globally have been recycled. However, not all plastics are equal in this equation, PET, in particular, stands out, given that they are 100% recyclable. Sri...
Plastics are part of everyday life for most of the people in the world and it is also used extensively in the industry. Globally about 368 million tonnes are produced annually where Asia accounts for more than half of the global plastic production. Sri Lanka currently imports virgin plastic raw materials for varying applications which amounts to...
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management, particularly final disposal as open dumps has become a global issue. Worldwide, dumpsites are the third largest anthropogenic source of methane, accounting for 11 percent of estimated global methane emissions or 881 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The 50 largest dumpsites affect the daily lives of 64...
Asian cities have faced problems caused by rapid urbanization for decades. While urbanization can bring economic development to the cities, it also produces decrease of natural resources or environmental deterioration. From the perspective of fresh water related issues, Asian cities are suffering from scarcity of water resources and water...
Many Asian cities have greatly relied on groundwater in the course of their development. Large populations and concentrations of industrial activity in urban areas intensified the stress on groundwater. Such stress has resulted in environmental problems, such as the drawdown of water tables, land subsidence and saltwater intrusion, which interfered...
The Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan (WMSAP) for Negombo is the outcome of committed team effort of city officials led by the Mayor and Commissioner of the Negombo City. The strategy also received inputs from committee members of Negombo Municipal Council (NMC) which comprised of Finance Committee, Health Committee, Industrial Committee...