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Sustainable waste collection 

25 Jan 2022

It was reported recently that the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) was planning to carry out an electronic waste (e-waste) collection programme at around 40 locations in the Western Province this week. Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera had told the media that this decision was taken after taking into consideration the damage e-waste causes to the environment and also to the public’s health.  While this is a commendable move, this is not the first time the authorities announced such measures. On several occasions during the past few months, especially after controversies relating to the environment arose, the Government said that it is determined to protect the environment and is ready to employ new approaches. However, the country has not seen tangible results. While it could be a result of many reasons, one of the obvious inadequacies of these programmes was the lack of public engagement. The rulers and authorities almost always tried to address environment-related matters only with laws and regulations and policy changes, and we did not see proper plans to raise awareness among the public and to stress the public’s role in this process.  The mission of protecting the environment from garbage is often viewed as the duty of environmentalists and the Government, and most of the time, the discussion on garbage management depends on how the two parties have fulfilled or disregarded their responsibilities. Sri Lanka does not nearly adequately acknowledge the fact that the main role in this process is played by the general public. It is high time to recognise that a great deal of the mission of protecting the environment lies with the public, and that the authorities need to reach out to the public to identify what changes the latter thinks should happen. One of the simplest but overlooked steps the Government can take with regard to the said programme is making sure that garbage bins are available in public places and that the people are aware of their responsibility to use them. This is of extreme importance because even in Colombo – which happens to be one of the most populated areas of the country – we do not see even the most basic facilities, for the people to dispose of waste, established in public places. What it results in is the people tending to throw away garbage wherever they feel like it. However, the Government taking the initiative to collect e-waste is not a solution, but rather a step that may lead us to a solution if implemented properly. If the e-waste collected from the people is dumped somewhere and does not get processed properly, that would not make any difference. Also, we should not forget the fact that e-waste constitutes only a meagre percentage of all waste, at least as far Sri Lanka is concerned, and that therefore, encouraging and supporting the people to come forward to properly dispose of other forms of waste should receive the attention of the authorities. Moreover, there is a greater need to ensure that the discourse on not adding harmful things to the environment extends beyond its limits to include the people. At the same time, the Government needs to encourage the practice of managing waste, including e-waste, properly, and perhaps reward those who do it right, like other countries have done. One of the good initiatives the Government announced recently is providing Rs. 10 to those who return empty plastic water bottles bought from Sathosa. However, it has to extend this to other sectors as well, especially when garbage is recyclable and can be a source of income. Most importantly, these programmes should be ongoing, everyday programmes. Collecting e-waste, or any form of waste for that matter, once in a while, for media attention, is not sustainable.


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