Burns partners local bodies to convert garbage into compost

Hiran H. Senewiratne

Burns Waste Management is exploring possibilities to work with all local government entities to provide a centralised solid waste management system to manage the garbage problem.

Under this scheme they will manufacture compost out of garbage.

Burns General Manager Sumith Jayawardena told Daily News Business they are working with several local government bodies including the Colombo Municipal Council, Kotte Municipal Council Gampaha Municipal Council and the Kaduwela Pradeshiya Sabha. Burns has entered into a 25-year contract with the Colombo Municipal Council and few other local government bodies to convert garbage into compost fertilizer, which manufacture 30 tonnes for a day.

The Government has allocated Rs 500 million from the budget as a subsidy for all compost manufacturers.

This would give a boost for manufacturers to trade their compost fertilizer for the country's farmer community through Government agencies, he said. Sri Lanka's annual urea consumption is 320,000 tonnes.

Rs 11 billion worth of foreign exchange, could be retained if this concept is popularised at national level. Compost enriches the soil than urea and other chemical fertilizer, he said. If this project is popularised we could cut down urea imports to a greater extent, which is enriching than compost, he said.

Local Government bodies collects garbage from residences.

Burns disposes garbage in an eco-friendly manner at their processing plant at Sedawatte in Colombo, which is the largest compost manufacturing plant in the South Asian region.

They market under the brand names of Thurusara and Best.

Jayawardena said one of the problems they encountered where the Colombo City garbage is concerned is that 68 per cent of garbage contained unwanted materials. The existing Bloemendhal garbage pile has a high volume of polythene and plastic.

The other problem is that Sri Lankan households do not have an effective garbage separation system, he said.

They collect white and black glass pieces and sell it to Ceylon Glass Company Ratmalana and the polythene and plastic to recycling companies for the manufacturing of non-hygienic products.

The company is now in the process of setting up garbage processing plants in central locations in the country to process garbage into compost fertilizer. They hope to set up a plant in Kalutara and also another one in Kandy.

With these developments Burns will invest Rs 50 million to add another six lines at the Sedawatte factory to increase the capacity to 5000 tonnes per day. The current production capacity is 900 tonnes, he said. Burns also will start an organic paddy cultivation programme in Anuradhapura next year to promote organic rice and also local varieties of Sri Lankan rice in the country.

The company which commenced as a BoI company in 2002 with an initial investment of Rs 800 million is now one of the leading compost manufacturers in the country.