CEA introduces solid waste management at large gatherings

The most pressing problem with solid waste disposal is the large amount of polythene. They are non-perishable and clog waterways. It is extremely important to dispose of them as early as possible

-Dr. Charitha Herath

The Central Environment Authority (CEA) has introduced a new programme for solid waste management at venues where people gathered in numbers like religious festivals, musical shows, exhibitions and public rallies, a senor official of the CEA said.

The Chairman of the CEA, Dr. Charitha Herath said the first project under this programme was carried out recently at St. Anne’s College and Nirmala Vidyalaya at Kalpitiya as pilot projects.

“We expect to introduce this programme to other areas of the country as the pilot projects were a success. We were able to deploy about 100 students to clean the premises of St. Anne’s Church in Thalawila after the annual festival which was patronised by hundreds of thousands of devotees from all parts of Sri Lanka and abroad was over and left with tonnes of solid waste,” Dr. Herath said.

Dr. Herath added the most pressing problem with solid waste disposal was the large amount of polythene. They were non-perishable and clogged waterways. Therefore, it was extremely important to dispose of them as early as possible before they became a major environmental problem. The CEA expects to give thorough training and educate students during the programme and send the message to the household and the society on keeping the environment clean, as public awareness on the importance of protecting the environment was not up to the expected level.

The public in Sri Lanka were relatively educated on environment protection and connected problems when compared to other countries, yet there was much to be done in this sphere, Dr. Herath said.

He also said Sri Lankans still dumped rubbish in a haphazard manner especially at festival venues leaving tonnes of solid waste to be cleared after the function.