Tax on garbage on the cards
The government is set to introduce a new tax called ‘tipping fee’ compelling Sri Lankans to pay charges for garbage collection and disposal with the aim of encouraging the private sector to provide garbage collection services, official sources said.
‘Tipping fee’ is defined as a flat charge levied though local government authorities from households and institutions for garbage collection and disposal by private sector service providers or Public Private Partnerships (PPP).
The new tax will pave the way for consolidation of the public waste collection scheme, which is a part of an overall enhancement to the solid waste management, official sources revealed.
The Treasury has been directed by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) to explore the possibility of introducing the new tax (tipping fee) to streamline garbage collection and disposal as a major portion of solid waste collected is still being disposed at the open dumps creating many environmental pollution issues.
PPP or private firms alone will also be encouraged to implement projects to recycle and dispose of solid waste in the Megapolis development area of the Western province by either land filling or recycling method.
This decision was taken by the CCEM at a meeting held in Colombo recently to encourage the private sector to contribute its share towards the environmental conservation.
A senior government official told the Business Times on condition of ano- nymity that the revenue generated through plastic cess imposed on plastic raw materials at the point of import will also be used for solid waste management projects in the country.
As a solution to the waste management problem, the secretaries committee has made a recommendation to implement the segregation methodology for collecting solid waste making it possible to identify recyclable items.
Therefore it was proposed to amend the Local Government Ordinance providing provisions to enable the collection of segregated waste.
Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka pointed out at the CCEM meeting that the mandate of the local government authorities, provincial authorities, and the Urban Development Authority on the waste disposal have been clearly identified and the management of waste disposal projects is the mandate of provincial councils.
He has said his ministry has already gone through a tender procedure and shortlisted seven projects for the management of solid waste at Meethotamulla (mountain) garbage dump, long an ecological problem and eyesore in Colombo.
The Western Provincial Council has also proposed an unsolicited waste management project for the same garbage dump site. The CECM has directed the technical evaluation team to evaluate the project and make its recommendation soon. At the moment, a PPP is in operation in the Colombo municipality where the Abans Group is hired as the garbage collector.