Out of the Colombo garbage, garbage belonging to the Colombo North area is currently being prepared for acceptance by Aruwakkaruwa. Garbage collected in Dehiwala, Mount Lavinia, Moratuwa, Maharagama and Homagama areas in Colombo South is currently being disposed of at the Coastal Waste Management Center. Garbage collected in the Colombo North area and garbage collected in the Puttalam District will be taken to the Aruwakkaruwa. It is planned to bring the train from Puttalam to Kelaniya via the Manelgama Exchange.
Although it was originally planned to bring all the collected garbage to Aruwakkaruwa, with the Meethotamulla landslide many people realized the need for waste management. Garbage segregation legislation was needed accordingly. These three components can be identified as recyclable waste and sanitary waste that can be used for landfilling. There is no need to bring the decomposing garbage to the landfill due to the fact that we are currently operating an organic fertilizer factory in the Colombo electorate.
The Kerawalapitiya Organic Fertilizer Yard has become one of the leading solutions to the garbage problem in the country. At present the Kerawalapitiya factory produces between 300 and 400 metric tons per day under the Land Reclamation and Development Board. The organic manure produced there will be used for landscaping in the Port City (Port City) project. In addition, a private company has been approved to purchase organic fertilizer from its Korawalapitiya factory for its tea cultivation industry.
A program has been proposed to recycle the waste that is brought to Aruwakkaru under non-perishable waste. The Ministry of Municipal Western Development, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government as well as the Western Province Solid Waste Management Authority are currently operating several small compost yards. In addition, our Ministry has started a system to obtain money by donating garbage to the Functional Sampath Piyasa Center. At present there are plans to launch this program in association with the leading national schools in our country. Accordingly, recyclable waste disposal centers such as polythene, plastic, glass, paper, metal and coconut shells that children collect in their homes will be set up and a price will be set for the waste provided to them.
This requires thinking about the country with a positive attitude towards the environment. Visakha Vidyalaya, Isipathana Vidyalaya, Ananda College, Asoka Vidyalaya, Kelaniya Dharmaloka Vidyalaya have already started resource centers. Also, plans are afoot to launch this project at Mahinda Rajapaksa College, Homagama. A program has been launched to obtain recyclable garbage in areas such as Malabe and Puttalam identified at the local government level. Resource centers have also been set up at institutions such as the Panagoda Army Center and the Isurupaya Ministry of Education.
Resource Centers have been set up to separate and collect garbage in housing complexes such as Laksanda Sevana where low income families are housed as well as in places such as Royal Park where high income families live. Through this program, our aim is to establish a discipline, attitude towards waste management in the society and to take steps to solve the garbage problem by giving it economic value as a way to earn money. Also, the mixed garbage we receive has to be taken to Aruwakkaruwa and in order to do so, it is planned to remove the water collected at the Kelaniya Manelgama Exchange and take it to Aruwakkaru by train at night through sealed containers. But the amount of money spent on it is very high. It is not possible to use the railway during the day to collect such garbage.
As the next phase of the Aruwakkaruwa Sanitary Garbage Disposal Project, we have planned to use the pits created by the limestone excavation projects in the Aruwakkaru area as landfills under a complete scientific methodology. Its main purpose is to build a landfill under several layers to prevent groundwater contamination. We have done some research for that. The groundwater samples will be tested and a three meter high layer will be constructed so that it is not in relation to the sea level. A pipeline has also been designed to drain the groundwater in the event of any alterations.
Necessary steps have been taken to ensure the safety of the pipelines by laying black stones and to prevent the contamination of ground water by the use of chemicals. We have designed the entire project in such a way as not to harm the environment by laying a layer of 1.5 mm thick plastic all over the Aruwakkaru landfill and taking necessary steps to prevent the landfill from going underground and also to treat the waste water. The Government of Sri Lanka has allocated US $ 111 million for the Aruwakkaru Sanitary Garbage Yard. There will be no foreign aid or any other assistance for this. More than 300 direct jobs have been created under this project.
If the waste problem can be solved to some extent through the production of compost and solid waste recycling, the amount of waste sent to the landfill will be limited. Aruwakkaru Sanitary Garbage Yard has the potential to solve the Colombo garbage problem for up to 80 years if proper waste disposal takes place.
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