Towards a waste-free Sri Lanka

By Shabiya Ali Ahlam

To identify and address the prevailing waste issues in Sri Lanka and to celebrate its 10-year mark in the waste management arena, Geocycle from Holcim (Lanka) hosted the first International Conference on Waste Management recently.

Held under the theme ‘Towards a Waste-Free Sri Lanka,’ the conference featured 10 technical sessions on waste management practices presented by industry specialists from diverse sectors. The forum comprehensively covered areas of the status of waste management scenario in the county along with bringing to light financial avenues for green projects, global trends in the arena, best practices, and the need for policies for the management of Hazardous Waste (HW).

Sri Lanka having become a throwaway society, statistics from the Ministry of Environment revealed that the average waste generation in the country stands at 6,400 tons per day of which only 2,800 tons are collected by the local authorities. The remaining 3,600 tons of solid waste are dumped in roadsides, water bodies, and low lands, causing serious health and environmental threats.

Overview of industrial waste management

Acknowledging the Government’s strong goal of having a waste-free Sri Lanka, University of Moratuwa Senior Professor Chemical and Processing Engineering Ajith De Alwis said that the country must be conscious of the fact that what is waste for one could be a resource for another. Capturing the industry spectrum, Alwis noted: “Sri Lanka has a rich set of regulations, significant human resources, and has probably the best executed environmental practice assessment programs.”

Identifying the policy goals of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources as the need to achieve sustainable development, improve environmental quality and eco-efficiency across all sectors of the economy, to alleviate poverty and increase the standard of living of all Sri Lankans, Alwis opined: “Organisations would naturally be delivering social equity and justice and quality of life would follow.”

He advised both the public and private sector should realise and act towards this to bring about change. “The State is driving in moderate environmentalism as they are conscious about the development needs. While we evoke that the regulatory framework allows one to do certain things, we must try to do our best in meeting the requirements,” he said.

Linking waste crisis to the fast-phased development of the country, “Sri Lanka is yet to formulate a complete solution for hazardous waste,” Alwis asserted. According to him, in a conventional sense, the inability to handle HW is certainly a loss for the nation. “One ton of waste is worth two barrels of oil,” he said. “By not managing this well, we are literally throwing away money that could help in the development of the county.”

Touching on the ecological misbehaviour of Sri Lanka, Holcim Business Development Manager Randeewa Malasooriya shared that Geocycle has indentified 23 challenges in waste management. The critical issues highlighted arising from the misbehaviour were land degradation due to soil erosion, depletion of coastal resources, inland water pollution, loss of biodiversity and waste disposal. “It is our responsibility to look after our mistake,” Malasooriya said, adding that carelessness of corporations, as well as individuals, on waste disposal methods, along with resource extraction, discharges to the environment, and emissions, have greatly contributed to the mentioned issues.

Sharing the “typical” waste management practices in Sri Lanka, open dumping, burning, and less segregation of waste are few acts if addressed would greatly bring down the difficulty of solving the mounting waste crisis. Requesting to bring about the discipline of ‘not mixing’ different waste types in one bag, Malasooriya said: “The biggest problem is that most of us aren’t aware of the fate of our waste. It leaves our door, we forget about it and its effects on the environment.”  

Segregation, the first and the most important step in waste management, transferred to minor labourers due to negligence of disposers, Malasooriya asserted that since the work is labelled as a ‘laymen’s’ job, it is challenging to find the required workforce to fulfil the task in a timely manner.

Role of CEA on WM

Revealing that HW generation has increased by 7.5% since 1996, CEA Environmental Pollution Control Division Deputy Director General K.H. Muthukudaarachchi shared the issues faced by CEA in waste management.

Stating that the major HW covered under the Scheduled Waste Management License (SWML) procedure are agro chemicals, repackaging, textile washing, waste oil handling, Electronic Waste (EW) processing, healthcare waste management, and metal processing industries, Muthukudaarachchi stated that one of the pressing issues faced by the CEA is the non-availability of proper facilities for HW disposal in Sri Lanka. He added the lack of proper procedures for implementation of HWM regulation, absence of an insurance scheme to cover the risk arising while handling HW and limited access to testing facilities are just few hurdles face by the authority when solutions for HWM are sought.

Touching on EW which is identified as a key contributor for HW, Muthukudaarachchi said immediate management methods should be shared among the public. Why is it a problem? Electronics are complicatedly assembled using materials that are toxic in nature. Although its materials are made of chlorinated and brominated substances, biologically active materials, acids, and plastic additives, most consumers are not aware of the dangers of its components.

“It was haunting for us to note that many consumers burn their damaged electronics. Doing so causes heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury into the air which in-turn causes the emission of carcinogenic gases,” he said.

To address the issue, handling of EW requires a license from the National Environmental (Protection & Quality) of CEA. Muthukudaarachchi said that according to the regulation, the generator, collector, transporter, recycler, and disposer should obtain license for scheduled waste management from the CEA.

Other initiatives taken by the CEA include the M-Waste Management Program where in 2009 the CEA in collaborated with Dialog Axiata to establish island wide collection systems for used mobile phones. In 2010, to implement a program under the theme ‘Ensuring an E-waste free environment’ CEA entered into an MOU with 14 partner companies to manage E-waste at a national level. In addition to the mentioned, the CEA organises E-waste drop-off events that are considered to be of the most successful practices by the organisation since nearly three tones of EW is collected in a single event.

Global overview of industrial WM

According to United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Consultant Dr. Carlo Lupi, risks associated with hazardous waste can be reduced in two ways. The first is to minimise the intensity of exposure by disposing the waste in specifically designed sanitary landfills, whereas the second way is to entirely eliminate hazardous waste properties. “Both the methods help prevent the release of toxic chemicals from hazardous waste matter into the environment,” he said.

Dr. Lupi shared that as per regulations set in Europe, a waste can only be managed within a ‘well established’ storage, transportation, and disposal system. Noting the regulation has been drafted to end scrap metal wastes, he stated that a system for certifying the ‘end of waste’ status is currently being developed although the national legislation is still the main reference. Due to the set conditions, Lupi pointed that wastes that exit from the waste circuit re-enters the market as raw materials.

Sharing the HWM practices in Korea, University of Seoul Department of Environmental Engineering Professor Dong Hong Lee said that by adopting the online ‘Allbaro system,’ the entire waste disposal process could be traced at any given time.

Developed and established by the Ministry of Information and Communications as an information assistance project in September 2001, the system has been used to monitor businesses on waste production, collection, and disposal since September 2002. By 2011, the Ministry of Environment of Korea announced the compulsory use of Allbaro for all kinds of industrial wastes.

Lee pointed that the modules of the Allbaro system include; transfer information management system, license approval, geographic information and a waste statistical analysis system. “Allbaro modules allows simplified process of license obtaining for private applicants and provides user friendly information on distribution of companies by region, distance search, and route analysis,” he elaborated. According to Lee, the system also creates statistical data of wastes in the region for supervision by relevant authorities.

Lee revealed that by using the Allbaro system instead of the paper manifest system, positive impacts in Korea’s environment and economy were noted. The average time spent to treat a waste management case was reduced to 5.9 min from 120.4 min while the illegal dumping amount was reduced by 8.8% during 2007 to 2009.

Strategies to localise WM

“In the 20th century when waste management was the concern, we asked ourselves how to get rid of our waste without harming the environment. The 21st century being about resource management, we are pressed with the question of how we are to handle our waste in ways which do not deprive our future generation,” said UNEP Regional Coordinator for Resource Efficiency Dr. Stefanos Fotiou.

With the paradigm shift in waste management to resource efficiency, Dr. Fotiou spoke on the eco-town concept, implemented in many regions in Asia, that refers to an urban planning and environmental management approach where industries located in designated areas pursue synergies in resource utilisation, waste management, environmental preservation, and promotion of industrial and economic development.

Recommending the same for Sri Lanka, the concept comprises fundamentals of waste management and recycling, minimising, and reusing strategies.

Main considerations under this concept according to Fotiou are the cost and benefits of technologies and affordability of users along with the policy support for technological solutions.

“It takes into account the technical capacity to adapt, operate, and maintain technologies,” he said while adding that the eco-town includes perspectives such as employment, income distribution, awareness, and continuous learning to improve its processes.

Stressing that the elements for successful localisation of the eco-town concept were knowledge, cost, innovation and communities, he shared that the help from the local project teams along with political support is imperative. “Active cooperation between the Government and local companies is essential to create an enabling environment for pilot projects,” Fotiou asserted.

Meanwhile, Holcim Asia Network Regional MSW System Development Manager IB Larsen shared insights on municipal solid waste processes in Asia.

MSW in Asia consists mostly of food waste that contains high moisture levels, said Larsen. He added that due to the mentioned features, combustion value of the waste is nearly negative. “Since the habit of segregation is yet to happen in this region, sorting MSW becomes extraordinarily difficult. Considering the nature of the waste, a large informal sector is active in the sorting of waste,” he said.

Making aware of the informal material collection process in Jakarta, Indonesia, Larsen revealed that 20-25% of recycling happens at household and at collection point while 5-10% takes place at landfill sites.

Providing details on the components, he noted that most households sell their recyclables to vendors and nearly 100% of glass, metals and rubber, and 50% of wood and plastics materials are reused.

Larsen pointed that while waste-drying methods such as sun-drying and storage dewatering is taking place in Asia, a new development called ‘bio-drying’ has taken shape where the process includes fractions of combustion.

Facilitated under semi-permeable membranes, heat from naturally decomposing organic material is utilised to evaporate moisture and the vapour leaves the membrane by airstreams. “This drying process is highly effective since during the entire process, foul smell of waste doesn’t escape the membrane,” he said.

With Holcim employing such innovative technologies to address diverse aspects of waste management, Larsen said: “Holcim is committed to assist the society in solving the problem with disposal of MSW and to assist society in developing and implementing the most efficient technologies and processes.”

Extending producer responsibility (EPR)

“CSR is not about planting trees, it’s about taking responsibility for your products from the second it is made to the moment it reaches the dumpsite,” said Consumer Affairs Authority Consultant Dr. Ajantha Perera while defining EPR as a stewardship that calls for post-consumer management’ from a producer his product and its packaging.

She identified EPR policy features as providing incentives to producers to incorporate environmental considerations into the design of their products and packaging.

Stating that “while a producer of a product has the greatest ability to minimise adverse impacts,” she noted that few goals of ERP is to encourage manufacturers to develop and design products containing fewer toxic components that helps in waste reduction.  Perera opined to implement EPR, a level playing field should be provided for producers across diverse sectors whereas the costs of end-of-life product management should shift from taxpayers to consumers and product manufacturers.

Speaking along these lines was also Maliban Biscuits General Manager Quality Assurance and Research Development Warana Fernando who shared organisation’s approaches to sustainable waste management practices.

Effectively practicing the 5S concept, “Maliban has formed quality circles in all departments in order to encourage employee suggestions to resolve work related problems and achieve company objectives through team work,” she said.

Highlighting few practices, Fernando said that by setting up a ‘waste water treatment’ system, an average consumption of 180,000 water gallons per month is used to maintain the factory’s common facilities. Water released from production activities and lunchrooms are collected into tanks through fat traps and are manually disposed as semi-solids. According to her, these semi-solids are used to make animal feeds, thus carefully disposed.

Touching on Maliban’s future plans for waste management; in 2013 the organisation in collaboration with Arpico will be carrying out a biogas project. In 2014, a project for reducing energy costs is planned while for 2015 a project to minimise heat loss from baking ovens will materialise.

Waste management and finance

Stating that “in waste is money,” ADB Country Director Rita O’ Sullivan stressed: “Without proper management, industrial waste could erode the achievements of decades of economic growth, affect people’s health, welfare, and environmental quality.”

 wPointing that it is the responsibility of the government to monitor waste management practices to achieve reduction in environmental risks resulting from illegal dumping of industrial waste, Sullivan advised the Government to “stand on its feet” as the possibility of Sri Lanka receiving money from developed nations is lesser since it has moved to a middle income level status.

With reference to capital investment requirements estimated at US$ 200 million, she noted that the annual average gap in financing solid waste management will increase to US$ 250 million by 2016.

Furthermore, Sullivan stated that while South Asia is estimated to have the potential to produce around  eight million tons of compost, or 3,340 million kilo-watt hours per year of electricity with a market value of around $701 million per annum, Carbon financing could also generate up to $218 million per annum in reduced GHG emissions. In this backdrop, she expressed that by extending concessions and incentives such as, grants, unit cost payments for collection/transport, tax holidays and carbon credits, the environment will be attractive to lure private sector into execute waste management projects.

 – Pix by Upul Abayasekara

and Lasantha Kumara