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Best Corporate Citizen Awards:

Metropolitan e-waste project wins CSR award

Metropolitan's flagship corporate social responsibility project, Eco office - aimed at reducing electronic waste pile up in workplace - was awarded Best CSR Special Projects award at the Ceylon Chamber's Best Corporate Citizen awards presentation held last week.

Metropolitan Office - Regions CEO Taslim Rahaman, Group Corporate Communications and CSR Senior Manager Chamintha Thilakaratne and Metropolitan Office CEO Ivor Maharoof with Minister Champika Ranawaka.

The award which was presented by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce by Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, was awarded for Metropolitan's efforts at addressing the concern of redundant office equipment piling up in office dumps and storerooms, thus posing a serious risk to environment.

Metropolitan's electronic waste management project which started in September 2010, focus on collecting workplace related electronic waste. Electronic waste is any electronic item that has become obsolete over time. They include items such as typewriters, computers, CRT monitors, printers, fax machines, copiers, cameras, calculators, scanners and even consumable such as toners and cartridges fall under this category.

"This project was initiated to provide a solution to the electronic waste problem and to create public awareness of dangers caused by unmanaged disposing of electronic waste, thereby creating greener environments, safer, healthier and productive workplace and efficient resource usage," said Metropolitan Group Corporate Communications and CSR Manager Chamintha Thilakaratne.

Since then, large amounts of electronic waste has been collected by Metropolitan through numerous activities such as public waste collection days and customer awareness programmes.

Over the last few decades Sri Lanka's workplace have seen an influx of machinery that has replaced large quantities of equipment that are fast becoming obsolete in the midst of the speedy technological advancements. While life spans of equipment have become shorter, the products piling up in store rooms and office dumps have increased.

"We had two main challenges in implementing this project. One was the lack of awareness on the dangers of electronic waste management amongst the public. The other was the State and private sector procedures in releasing redundant equipment for proper disposal and subsequent recycling," said Metropolitan Office (Pvt) Ltd Director and CEO - Regions Taslim Rahaman.

These challenges have been overcome with the assistance of the CEA through awareness creation on the need for disposing electronic waste in a safe manner and through awareness on the government's national e-waste management mandate.

The public can handover their e-waste at selected strategic locations of Metropolitan branches and companies can send Metropolitan an email with information on their e-waste, and Metropolitan will make suitable arrangements to collect them.

In the first eight months of the project more than 20 tonnes of electronic waste has been collected and sent for disposal and recycling by the Metropolitan Group's flagship CSR project - the Electronic Waste Management Project, which leads the workplace e-waste management of the national e-waste programme set up by the Central Environment Authority.

These waste once collected is sent for sorting and recycling by GreenLink (Pvt) Ltd, which is an authorized company approved by the Central Environment Authority and by the UN BASEL Convention.

Lankem Ceylon PLC. Director Ruwan T. Weerasinghe inaugurates the signing ceremony. Internal Affairs, Trade and Corporatives Ministry, Permanent Secretary Sunil H. Sirisena looks on.

BMC partners with Lankem Paints

The Building Materials Corporation (BMC) recently partnered with Lankem Paints Ltd and will henceforth exclusively market Lankem paints at all its outlets across the island.

Lankem Paints Ltd, reputed for manufacturing and marketing its flagship brand 'Robbialac', is today one of Sri Lanka's largest 100% local coatings manufacturers and marketeers. A pioneer in the local paints industry, it counts more than 25 years of wide ranging experience.

Lankem Ceylon PLC. Director Ruwan T. Weerasinghe said, "We're delighted to join hands with the Building Materials Corporation and thereby reach out to an even greater consumer base all over Sri Lanka. This is a win-win situation for both players and does augur well for the future". Also present at the signing ceremony was Internal Affairs, Trade and Corporatives Ministry, Permanent Secretary Sunil H. Sirisena among other distinguished invitees. Lankem's portfolio includes decorative, industrial, epoxies, primers, ancillary, anti-corrosives, auto refinish and wood care ranges which cater to all needs of the Sri Lankan paints consumer.

It recently ventured into the water based wood coatings market in collaboration with a reputed Italian company - ALCEA, with its brand 'Acquashield'.

Wheel Masters opens alignment centre in Anuradhapura

The Industries Minister of the North Central Province H B Semasinghe and Wheel Masters (Pvt) Limited Managing Director Amal Piyathilaka opening the Wheel Masters branch in Anuradhapura.

Wheel Masters (Pvt) Limited, experts in wheel alignment and engine oil, changing with the latest computer technology, opened their newest alignment centre on Dharmapala Mawatha, Anuradhapura recently.

The chief guest on this occasion was the North Central Province Industries Minister H B Semasinghe.

Wheel Masters (Pvt) Ltd Managing Director Amal Piyathilaka said that a range of services such as wheel alignment, automatic changing of ATF oil and issuing of vehicle fitness certificates for trade vehicles and vehicle estimates could be obtained from the Wheel Masters branch in Anuradhapura.

Piyathilaka further said that the Wheel Masters (Pvt) Ltd in Anuradhapura is the only organization in Sri Lanka using computerized Bluetooth technology to service heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses.

Wheel Masters (Pvt) Ltd last year opened an alignment centre with modern technology in Vavuniya.