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Landfill plans are in the works, officials claim
More than 1,000 people who dumped garbage on the streets illegally have been arrested and those who were snared say they had no choice because the Colombo Municipal Council failed to collect the waste.
Meanwhile, officials say they are planning more landfills across the country, composting projects, and energy projects from waste.
The police, the army and public health officers arrested 1,180 people over 20 days between June 18 and 27. This was initiated by Colombo Municipal Council, which has for years been unable to regularly collect and clear the city’s garbage.
Foul smell and eye sore, not to mention a health hazard: Garbage dumps at Kolonnawa (above) and Dematagoda (below). Pix by Sameera Weerasekera
CMC Commissioner V K Anura claimed that the garbage collection was going on smoothly but that unseparated waste will not be collected.
He said that those arrested will be charged.
Those arrested include 169 from Colombo north, 218 from Colombo central, 72 from Colombo couth, 140 from Nugegoda, 27 from Mount Lavinia, 250 from Gampaha,, 153 from Kelaniya, 65 from Negombo, 85 from Panadura and 4 from Kalutara.
Western Province, Waste Management Authority, director, Nalin Mannapperuma said there are no short-term solutions.
“The only immediate solution is to reduce, reuse and recycle,’’ he said.
As mass scale disposal facilities are not available, the people will have to manage their garbage wisely.
“We have asked the CMC to change collection patterns and advise households to reduce on non-perishable garbage.’’
Among the proposals is to stop collecting garbage from households that have more than one perch of garden space.
Also the authority is promoting local fairs where people could exchange or sell their plastic and electronic waste for a nominal sum.
Already 35 fairs have been held in Homagama, Maharagama, Colombo and Ja-ela. “These have been very successful,’’ he claimed.
Perishable garbage from Colombo hauled to Muthurajawela, amounting to 200-300 metric tons a day is being turned into compost.
Non-perishable garbage is being recycled in four centres owned by the CMC in Green Path, Vauxhall Street, Jawatte and Mattakuliya. The residual waste is being dumped in an undisclosed private location.
People who protested are being blamed for the failure to create sanitary land fills. “As early as 1996 a site was identified in Waga, then in 2008 in Padukka and then recently in Kaduwela. We had to abandon all sites because of protests,’’ Mr Mannapperuma, said.
The other challenge was the lack of co-ordination and co-operation among the officials of related ministries and departments.
With the Meethotamulla collapse, the authority has planned mass scale cluster based landfills. This includes three in Colombo, one in Gampaha and one in Kalutara.
Except for one in Colombo and another in Kalutara, all other sites have been identified and agreements signed.
The Megapolis Ministry has planned waste-to-energy projects with various local and foreign companies. Additional secretary, development, P Suresh, said that the ministry was responsible only for long-term solutions.
Energy projects for the Gampaha garbage has been signed up with Association of Professional Industrial Hygienists of South Korea.
For the CMC waste at Karadiyana, a local company, Fairway Waste Management has been signed up. Western Power Co, which had been contracted in 2013, but failed due to public protests, has been given alternate land in Muthurajawela.
The company will start its waste-to-energy project in three months. Once these landfills are created, unsorted garbage will also be accepted, Suresh said.
Hauling of Meethotamulla waste to Puttalam is also being speeded up. The earlier site, he said, has been abandoned due to lack of buffer zones around the land.
Central Environment Authority, solid waste, director, Upali Indraratne, emphasised the importance of sanitary landfills across the country. The only sanitary landfill Sri Lanka has is the one in Dompe. “We are trying to have another 15 cluster based landfills that can be used by several local authorities,’’ he said.
“When constructing landfills we will take into consideration the ground water in the area, any leachate, air pollution, odour and vector-borne diseases.’’
Tenders have been called for four landfills in Jaffna, Galle, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa on a priority basis. Plans are underway to build sanitary landfills in all districts. These are expected to come into operation in 2019.
“Until then, the only solution is to increase composting and reduce generation of garbage,’’ he said.
Also there are plans to increase the number of compost plants. Colombo produces around 3,600 metric tonnes of waste but only 600 metric tonnes is being composted.
“We need six such plants to compost the perishable garbage from Colombo,’’ Indraratne said.