In a recent interview with a national newspaper, Director of the Waste Management Authority revealed that Sri Lanka produces over 7000 Mt of waste per day.
The World Bank estimated that per capita solid waste generation in Sri Lanka is 5.10 kg per day. Arithmetically, it works out to over 20,000 Mt of solid waste produced per day.
According to a document titled “Sustainable Approaches to the Municipal Solid Waste Management in Sri Lanka” by I.L.N. Hikkaduwa, and others of University of Moratuwa (2016), the collection of solid waste by all local bodies amounts to 3423 Mt per day.
Comprehensive and accurate measurement of waste generation and disposal in Sri Lanka continues to be an issue at national, provincial and local levels. There is no proper mechanism to coordinate this information and research, or to compile results with an intergraded approach. Scientifically drawn estimates and evolutionary predictions are essential to work out an evidence-based strategy to draft and maintain a sustainable waste management mechanism.
Experiences
Leaving statistics aside for the moment and if we move into our core issue, we find that solid waste has become a serious environmental and socioeconomic issue in Sri Lanka. The current haphazard disposal of waste on top of the population growth, migration and rapid urbanization will accelerate the issue further in the coming years.
In many developing countries in Asia and Africa, waste is increasingly being used to produce both materials and energy, and recycling now saves more greenhouse gases than it generates. Yet, Sri Lanka, as a developing country, is still faced with the major challenge of improving its inadequate and unsustainable waste management systems.
It appears we have not learnt from the results of completed and ongoing programmes of other countries, particularly in African and European nations. This writer believes we could learn a number of lessons from Germany whose waste recovery rates are one of the highest in the world. Germany shows how the waste industry contributes to sustainable economic production and management in her country by saving raw materials and primary energy.
German policy
Solid waste management is one of the most important and visible services that German local bodies provide for their citizens. Key to the successful accomplishment of this task is the development of an integrated framework that allows all the relevant aspects to be harmonised.
Many different actors and aspects are taken into account in order to organise solid waste management on an economically and environmentally sustainable basis. The approach identifies three levels that need to be taken into account when developing the framework:
(a) Different interest groups (e.g. local public agencies, citizens, private businesses, associations, NGOs)
(b) Technical aspects of solid waste management and recycling (e.g. waste separation and collection, transport, waste avoidance, re-use, recovery of raw materials, recycling, treatment and disposal)
(3) Frameworks and overarching aspects (e.g. legal, financial and policy frameworks, environmental and health protection, economic and social-cultural aspects).
The solid waste management system will vary from local body to local body, depending on the particular local context.
Objectives
Each local authority will define the specific objectives when developing its solid waste management plan in dialogue and negotiation with the various interest groups. As well as local councillors and administrators, this will also include citizens, and municipal waste management and recycling companies. NGOs may also play a big role.
Integrated solid waste management pursues several overall goals. It aims to solve existing solid waste management problems. It also aims to organise solid waste management and recycling on a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly and socially sound basis.
Above all, the authority understands that in order to ensure success of the system, citizens should support it.
Finally, waste management aims to develop stable organisational structures, create jobs in recovery and recycling loops, and promote economic development.
Activities
The planning process is divided into five phases. The first step involves identifying any solid waste management problems and defining in detail the objectives together with all the relevant actors.
A second step involves analysing the local conditions in detail and collecting relevant data. Key data include information on the quantity and composition of waste, on large waste producers in the area, on the methods of waste collection and transport, and on the existing infrastructure, i.e. landfills and recovery and recycling plants. The next step is to draw up a forecast of the future trend in volumes of waste over the next ten years. In particular, this involves studying the factors influencing this trend. These include e.g. population growth, economic development, consumer behaviour and changes in legal frameworks.
Based on this analysis a draft framework is prepared and an action plan drawn up that contains specific steps for implementation. These can include e.g. measures for waste avoidance, recycling and in some cases, the construction of new waste treatment plants.
Action
The action indicates whether the services are to be provided by private enterprises or by the local authority.
A key role is also played by public awareness-raising measures that can encourage environmentally sound behaviour and improve the separation of waste.
Finally, the framework and the action plan are approved by the local authority. During each step in the planning process, relevant stakeholders such as residents and private enterprises, are consulted in order to include their perspectives and expertise and increase their acceptance of implementation. This also enables stakeholders to experience local democracy for themselves.
Drawing up a solid waste management framework usually involves a great deal of work. In Germany local bodies finance this themselves. On the other hand, training for municipal employees is provided so that it will enable them to draw up and update a framework. This is generally organised in cooperation with other municipalities.
Treatment
Germany does not allow wastes to be landfilled without pre-treatment. The pre-treatment takes place in incineration plants or mechanical-biological treatment plants. Waste must be treated so that it cannot degrade inside a landfill. Pre-treatment and stopping untreated landfilling protect citizens’ health and the climate. Landfills do not emit landfill gas which contains methane and carbon dioxide. The German waste management system is totally financed by fees. There are no subsidies. There is a “polluter-pays” principle, means the producer has to pay for waste treatment or disposal.
The responsibility for packaging materials was already enforced in the Packaging Ordinance. It contains provisions on the obligation of producers and distributors to take back used packaging from the consumer. In order to meet this obligation, retailers can participate in a system for the collection and recycling of the packaging materials. With such regulation, Germany significantly reduced the proportion of packaging in municipal waste.
New policy
In Sri Lanka, management of solid waste is the responsibility of local bodies. However, except for a few municipalities, appropriate waste management cannot be seen in other local institutions. Whatever available is weak in planning and implementation. Sri Lanka repeatedly failed to fix longstanding issues despite expert suggestions for improvements.
The entire blame cannot be passed over to the local bodies themselves. They have their own problems. Some may lack the institutional capability and technical expertise to handle projects of this nature. Some do not generate enough financial resources to undertake such projects. Some may not have suitable lands for waste disposal. \The outmoded policy, laws and regulations and weak or total absence of monitoring by civic authorities or civil society are the other reasons. Above all, there is a lack of commitment by most local bodies resulting the least attention for solid waste management. The main reason is that most elected members of local bodies have very limited knowledge of the subject of waste management.
The solution is to rethink and rehaul. The Government authorities need to sit back and take note what is happening in other Asian and European countries in solid waste management. It’s time they take a cue from other countries’ successes (particularly Germany) and draft a modern and sustainable national policy for waste management for Sri Lanka. We have enough and more professionals who possess experience and the knowledge how to do it. What is needed is a genuine commitment to make it happen.
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