News
Tragedy instils trash consciousness
Just as there is a silver lining in every dark cloud, a positive trend in garbage management is emerging from the Meethotamulla garbage tragedy — with more and more people acting responsibly while many public institutions have introduced garbage disposal guidelines and rules.
The National Museum last week said visitors would not be allowed to bring in food or water into the museum. Visitors who go to the canteen to eat their lunch are told they cannot dump their lunch sheets, plastic bags or wrappers in the canteen dustbin. They are told to take their litter home.
Museum Director Sanuja Kasthuriarachchi said the decision to implement these tough rules were taken after municipal officials warned the Museum administration that non-biodegradable waste would not be collected.
“We have no alternative but to remove all bins and inform visitors of the new garbage disposal rules,” she said.
At the Vihara Mahadevi Park, a popular picnic place, authorities do not allow visitors to eat food, while huge boards have come up at the National Hospital, warning visitors that plastic bottles and polythene items are not allowed inside the premises.
Even households are now taking garbage disposal seriously. Many households are using compost bins. One of the apparent reasons for the change is the non-collection of garbage for over a week, after efforts by the Colombo municipality and other local councils to dispose the collected garbage in new sites failed following public protests.
Many households are now finding their own ways of disposing of garbage – like turning it into compost, using either a compost bin or burying the garbage in the backyard — without depending on the local councils, the Sunday Times has found out.
The Local Government Ministry’s Solid Waste Management Director, Athula Illangasinghe, said there was a great lesson to learn from the people of the Batticaloa district. Almost all the households in the district make compost out of garbage. As a result, the district has succeeded in reducing 20 tons of garbage daily. “Earlier, the local authorities collected around 200 tons of garbage but the amount has come down to 180 tons,” he said.
Expressing similar views was Central Environmental Authority Director General J.M.U Indraratne, who is in charge of solid waste management. He said people who are into cultivation realise the value of garbage as a rich source of manure. “They have found that the garbage will bring in returns,” he said.
But people living in apartments may not be able to adopt this garbage management method.
Colombo’s Municipal Commissioner V.K. Anura said condominium apartments would be asked to instal garbage management systems to dispose of their non-biodegradable garbage. “Going forward, condominium plans will not be approved without a proper garbage disposal system in place,” he said. “All condominiums, corporate buildings and hotels will have to have an efficient and workable garbage disposal plan for plastics and polythene waste.”
He also said the municipality was also streamlining its garbage collecting operation. Boards informing the residents of the days and times of collection by municipal trucks will be displayed at the top of every street. In addition, leaflets will also be distributed.
Meanwhile an enterprising young man has taken up the challenge to build a mobile recycling plant which is able to sort out the mixed garbage.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Research is also taking up the garbage disposal problem as a priority issue that needs a solution. It is looking at the possibility of producing a garbage recycling machine based on a 2011 invention by Sampath Dimbulastenna, a former employee of the Sapugaskanda petroleum refinery. The machine he built can sort out garbage into bio-degradable waste, plastic and metal and glass.
The 37 year old Gampola resident said he was determined to make such a machine because he understood the magnitude of the garbage problem. He said that he completed his project in 2011 and had presented it to the local authorities only to be ignored. “The problem is inventors like us do not know where to or whom to approach to be recognised,” he lamented.
The Sri Lanka inventors Commission Chief Dr. Mahesh Edirisinghe said that under the direction of Minister Susil Premajayantha, the commission together with the National Engineering Research Development Centre (NERD) was looking at the possibility of producing a garbage sorting machine at a low cost using local expertise and material. The project, if successful, can be developed into a large scale business venture with the participation of local entrepreneurs, he said.
Mr. Dimbulastenna has been given a Rs. 100,000 advance to produce a model of the machine. The line ministry is awaiting Cabinet approval to start the project.