News
Lanka produces 7,000 tonnes of trash a day
Only half of them being collected as municipal waste
Sri Lanka produces 7,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, with only half being collected as municipal waste, it was revealed at an Inception Workshop for Local Authorities for a Sustainable Sri Lanka by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka.
A UNDP release said: Municipal Waste Management (MSW) is causing key social, environmental, and economic concerns in Sri Lanka. The country produces 7,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, with only half being collected as municipal waste according to the Waste Management Division of the Central Environmental Authority. Overall, 85% of waste generated is estimated to be disposed of inappropriately, mainly through indiscriminate open dumping and burning giving rise to health and environmental impacts.
The Western Province alone generates more than 59% (approximately 4,200 tonnes) of solid waste with a high degree of biodegradability. With trends in urbanization and rapid population growth, municipal waste generation is expected to rise to 2.2 billion tonnes by 2025. As such, transitioning from a traditional unsustainable system to sustainable waste management is a key necessity. Controlling the generation, storage, collection, transportation, processing and disposal of solid waste materials in a manner that best addresses the range of public health, conservation, economic, aesthetic, engineering, and other environmental considerations is a requirement for Sri Lanka. Therefore, as the country makes headway in its green recovery, it is crucial to build measures to introduce sustainable waste management options for Local Authorities (LAs).
Speaking on the topic at the inception workshop on Scaling up Sustainable and Low-Carbon Municipal Solid Waste Management and Resource Recovery in Sri Lanka held recently, M. M. P. K. Mayadunne, Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government noted, “Finding a practical and a long-term solution to Municipal Solid Waste Management is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders. As Local Authorities are on the frontlines of Municipal Solid Waste Management, supporting Local Authorities to come up with a sustainable system with public-private partnerships to control waste generation and final disposal is crucial”.
In line with this, together with the Ministry of Environment in Sri Lanka, the Government of the Republic of Korea, and the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka is scaling up efforts to utilize best available technologies to improve Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM), support other waste related value chains and strengthen the capacity of women-led micro and small enterprises to engage in resource recovery initiatives in Sri Lanka.
Speaking on Korea’s expertise, Bohae Na, Programme Coordinator and Associate Researcher, KEITI noted, “It is a pleasure to work with Sri Lanka and UNDP in scaling up Municipal Waste management systems in Sri Lanka and we believe Korea’s technological and knowledge transfer and expertise will be a great asset in developing the sustainability of Sri Lanka’s Waste Management Sector”.
Addressing the gathering, Malin Herwig, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP in Sri Lanka highlighted, “The Republic of Korea is renowned for its world-class solid waste management systems, waste reduction and waste diversion from landfills.Therefore, through this partnership with the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, Sri Lanka will indeed benefit from knowledge exchange and technology transfer in appropriate commercialized municipal solid waste management systems in the local context”.
Through this initiative, UNDP and KEITI have reached out to Korean technology providers and experts to provide valuable input and guidance on the available commercialized municipal solid waste management technologies. The project will support Sri Lanka to meet its MSWM targets of the National Development Agenda and waste sector Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by implementing locally relevant comprehensive and sustainable MSWM solutions.
Mahinda Werahera, Director, of the Environment Pollution Control and Chemical Management Division, Ministry of Environment noted, “Although Municipal Solid Waste Management in Sri Lanka is recognized as a national development priority, finding sustainable solutions for this issue has been extremely challenging. Therefore, through this initiative, we hope to work closely with Korean experts in finding economically feasible and socially acceptable solutions for Municipal Solid Waste Management in Sri Lanka”.
The project aims to reduce health and safety concerns to the people and wildlife, damage to the natural environment, Greenhouse Gas emissions and other forms of pollution, and waste management burden to the LAs. It will also stimulate private sector investment for low carbon development, and engagement of small enterprises in green resource recovery value chains and promote green jobs.
Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake has said the Local Government Commissioners have created confusion and a severe erosion of public trust in the electoral process at local level by adhering to election laws and administrative guidelines selectively without adopting a consistent approach.
The authority to establish local government bodies— particularly the hung ones––has been granted to the Local Government Commissioners in the nine provinces. However, this process has now sparked controversy largely due to ambiguity over how to elect council heads.
At the heart of the issue is the Local Government Elections Act, which does not specify the procedures to be followed in electing the heads of local bodies. To address this issue, the Secretary to the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils has issued a 28-page set of guidelines. This guideline gained much attention during the election of the Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council, where opposition members claimed that the head of the council had to be elected according to the guidelines in question. However, the guidelines merely state, “Each member should be consulted, and the method of voting should be decided accordingly.”
The Opposition seemed to have ignored that there were three acceptable methods of voting––by a show of hands, through a secret ballot, or by using an electronic system, Gajanayake said. Still, the real issue lies in the application of the guidelines by the Local Government Commissioners.
For instance, the Western Province Commissioner opted for a secret ballot in the Colombo MC. In contrast, in many other councils, the voting method was determined based on the preference of the majority of members. In Local Government Institutions in Uva, North Central, and North Western provinces, where members called for open votes by the show of hands— the commissioners complied.
However, inconsistency re-emerged in the first meeting of the Seethawakapura Urban Council of the Colombo District in the Western Province. Out of 25 members,14 requested an open vote. The Commissioner, however, insisted on a secret ballot. As a result, all 14 members walked out in protest, and the meeting was adjourned without electing a head.
By PRIYAN DE SILVA ✍️
CID Director of Investigations Ashoka Shelton Karunathilaka told the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee probing the interdicted IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon that numerous flaws had been found in the investigations carried out by the Weligama Police into a shooting incident at the W15 Hotel.
Giving evidence before the special inquiry committee, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, Karunathilaka said that the Weligama Police had proceeded with their investigation riddled with flaws. “Even the locations of spent bullet casings at the crime scene were not properly marked. There was a mismatch between the empty bullet casings and the recovered ammunition. Additionally, CCTV footage from the crime scene area shows inconsistencies.These investigative shortcomings were the reason why legal action was taken against the OIC of the Weligama Police Criminal Investigation Division. Moreover, no proper investigation was carried out into the police officer who was fatally shot.”.
The committee met for the eighth day on Wednesday, when seven witnesses testified. The final witness of the day was Karunathilaka, who pointed out the deficiencies in the initial investigations by the Weligama Police.
At this point, counsel S. Weerawikrama, representing Deshabandu Tennakoon, questioned whether the warrant for Tennakoon’s arrest had been obtained under political or ministerial pressure.
Karunathilaka answered in the negative.
During the session, counsel Weerawikrama raised his voice while cross-examining the witness, prompting one of the committee’s judges to advise him to ask questions without getting agitated.The day’s proceedings concluded with the committee recording the testimonies presented by the prosecution, led by Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris.
By Kamal Bogoda
Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera has informed the Chairman of the Election Commission in writing that a vacancy has arisen in Parliament due to the resignation of Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma.
Dr. Suriyapperuma, a National List Member of Parliament representing the NPP and the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Stabilization, submitted his letter of resignation to the Secretary General of Parliament, Kushani Rohanadeera.
According to the letter submitted by Dr Suriyapperuma, the resignation is effective from June 20, 2025.
Accordingly, the Secretary General has informed the Chairman of the Election Commission that, in terms of Section 64(5) of the Parliamentary Elections Act No. 1 of 1981, the seat held by Dr Harsha Suriyapperuma in the Tenth Parliament is now vacant.
Speculation was rife at the time of going to press that Dr. Suriyapperuma would be appointed Secretary to the Finance Ministry.
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