Caritas waste management programme based on Reuse, Reduce, Recycle (photos)

by Melani Manel Perera

Every year, 23,000 tonnes of waste are generated on the island. New plan is meant to avoid tragedies like the one that occurred at the Meethotamulla landfill. The Takakura composting method includes sorting waste in the home and turning into fertiliser.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Sri Lanka's Caritas (SEDEC) has launched a campaign to raise awareness about waste disposal, backed by the country’s 14 bishops, including Card Malcolm Ranjith, archbishop of Colombo.

The plan is meant to prevent the indiscriminate accumulation of waste that can lead to tragedies like that of the Meethotamulla landfill, when a mountain of waste collapsed on scores of people living in a nearby slum.

All the bishops signed onto the plan confirming the need for decisive action against waste and uncontrolled landfills. The event took place at the "Lankarama" Balcombe Palace on 23 August.

In addition to Card Ramjith, the illustrious guests included Mgr Wingston Fernando, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka (CBCSL); Mgr Vianney Fernando, president of the Catholic National Commission for Justice Peace Human Development; Jayavilal Fernando, Solid Waste Management Project director at the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development; and Anuradha Wijeyawardana, an expert in development.

Bishop Fernando explained that the method used will be the 3Rs, that is, "reuse, reduce and recycle". It will be backed by a composting system called ‘Takakura’, named after its inventor, which includes recycling material and plants to obtain fertiliser. This can be done in homes, where waste material can be sorted.

Caritas Sri Lanka executive director Yu Hwa Li explained the project in detail. Noting that about 23,000 tonnes of waste are produced each year in the island, "a lot could be done if people learnt to reduce waste material directly in the home, which is where waste is generated.”

Terrence Kodippily and Sajith Silva, from the National Caritas Centre, demonstrated how to sort waste.