‘Solid waste conversion could be profitable’

H.D.H Senewiratne

Solid waste that was collected in the Colombo Metropolitan area could be converted into a money spinner and that could be used to manufacture compost fertilizer to meet the demand of the Western Province to a large extent said, Minister of Environment Susil Premajayantha.

Minister Premajayantha

“The 600 tones of solid waste collected daily in the Colombo Metropolitan areas alone in the Western Province, could be a real money spinner if we could manage it in a proper way to manufacture compost fertilizer,” Minister Premajayantha said at a seminar on Environmental Law organised by Institute of Legal Studies and Management. He said that the demand for compost fertilizer is getting high because people are now going for organic products particularly fruits and vegetables.

Therefore the Bloemendhal Garbage Mountain, which was a major issue because of its bad ordour could be converted into a great money spinner if an interested party could venture into a compost fertilizer business utilising it. Minister Premajayantha said that in Colombo and the suburbs more than 400 tones of garbage were collected daily. “If we could promote this business we could meet the compost requirement to a larger extent. If a private party could get involved in this business it would help to solve the Colombo garbage problem to a large extent,” he said.

He said that Sri Lanka should have a structured administration system to collect solid waste by separating the garbage and collecting them into different bins. Further, the Minister also said that during the last several years the country’s chemical waste accumulation had also increased by 314 percent, which would lead to several dangerous ailments, he added.