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From pollution to pedestals: Navy gives creative twist to plastic waste
Sculptures made from plastic waste collected from waterways
Giving a creative twist to tackling pollution in waterways, the Sri Lanka Navy has deployed teams not just to rake up plastic waste in Colombo and Gamapaha district rivers and canals but to transform it into ornaments, flower pots, and even sculputures.
The Navy said the key objective was to rid the waterways of plastic waste such as bottles, cups, containers and similar items. The targeted waterways are the Kelani River and the canals flowing through Wellawatta, Mt. Lavinia, Moratuwa, Ratmalana, Dehiwala, and Negombo.
Guided by Lieutenant Commander K.A.D.S. Wanigaratne, the ambitious project has many recycling aspects. For instance, the Navy uses discarded oil from ships and discarded coconut oil to melt the plastic waste and turn it into plastic statues, flower pots, and other decorative items.
Flower pots made of recycled plastic
Sailors deployed in the task dive in the estuaries such as the one in Mattakkuliya, close to Crow Island. They have collected tens of thousands of kilograms of plastic waste, which are sorted out and shredded by machinery before being melted in a special boiler built by the Navy.
The melted plastic is poured into moulds to produce the items.
The Navy, however, said it alone could not depollute the waterways. It calls on people to be environment-friendly and not throw plastic waste into waterways. If proper disposal methods were used in the disposal of plastic items, it would make recycling easy.
The process: From left - collecting plastic waste, shredding them and melting them
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