New waste management project from next month

Chamikara Weerasinghe

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources will introduce a waste management project covering the entire island from next month.

The project, Pilisaru is based on capacity building of Local Government authorities to play an effective role in garbage management backed up by new waste management regulations, said Environment and Natural Resources Minister Champika Ranawaka.

The Minister was addressing a workshop organised at the Central Environmental Authority Auditorium to apprise the heads of local government authorities in the Gampaha and Colombo districts about the Pilisaru waste management programme.

The minister said that the Treasury had allocated Rs. 3200 million for the programme and foreign funds are also expected.

The Director General of Central Environment Authority, Pasan Gunasena said they had identified sites to put up necessary landfills for the project.

The Authority is set to spend Rs 1 billion for 2008, out of which Rs. 4,000 million is from the Korean Government.

"Composting and recycling are parts of the overall programme, only the residue after composting of garbage can be directed to the landfills under the Pilisaru programme," he said.

He said that an Action Plan prepared in this regard was approved by the Legal Draftsman.