INSEE helps municipalities in proper waste management
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While municipalities across Sri Lanka are struggling with challenges associated with waste disposal and recycling – INSEE Ecocycle, the waste management arm of INSEE Cement, has spearheaded since 2014 a public-private partnership (PPP) for municipal solid waste management.
The project which co-processed “segregated non-recyclable plastic and polythene waste” the project has been on for several years in the Gampaha and Kurunegala districts.
“As a pioneering initiative, the partnership has successfully demonstrated how the combined strengths of proactive private entities – the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), Office of the Commissioner of the Western Province and participating Municipal Councils, can join forces with a private group to launch sustainable projects. The project resolved to assist local authorities in dealing with the growing environmental crisis created due to increasing landfills and dumps posing health and environmental risks to the public and contributing to harmful greenhouse-gas emissions,” INSEE said in a media release.
Commenting on the initiatives of INSEE Ecocycle, Prof. Lal Mervin Dharmasiri, CEA Chairman said, “Ecocycle supported the national initiative of eradicating plastic, polythene waste and e-waste in Gampaha, Kurunegala and Puttalam districts together with the CEA in 2016. We appreciate the support extended by them to CEA. Through this partnership, we got to know further about their sustainable PPP model on disposing of non-bio degradable and non-recyclable components of municipal solid waste from 2015 to date in both Gampaha and Kurunegala districts, if not where it will be dumped in the landfill affecting the environment.”
Sanjeewa Chulakumara, General Manager of INSEE Ecocycle noted, “We are very happy to partner in solving the national issue via public private partnership. It is a very successful project to showcase when we look back.”
With an average 80-100 MT of ‘segregated non-recyclable polythene and plastics’ collected in the Gampaha and Kurunegala districts, INSEE Ecocycle has assisted the local authorities to manage waste in a sustainable manner.
INSEE Ecocycle has co-processed more than 600,000 MT of industrial waste by partnering with over 350 corporates including government institutions in Sri Lanka.
Explaining co-processing, INSEE said that this is an economically viable and environmentally friendly sound waste management alternative to the traditional disposal of waste as it takes advantage of the technology already used for the cement production process. Director of Waste Management Authority (WMA) Nalin Mannaperuma said, “We appreciate INSEE Ecocycle for stepping forward to establish waste management practices for the corporates. Currently, most of the industries are aware that they have to manage their own wastes. INSEE Ecocycle’s contribution in creating continuous awareness has encouraged the corporates to reduce waste volumes.”
The total municipal solid waste generation in the country is estimated at 6,500 metric tons (MT) per day.