Government plans Rs. 100 billion waste-management programme for 2027–29

The Government is planning a Rs. 100 billion waste-management programme covering the country from 2027 to 2029, Additional Secretary to the President in charge of Clean Sri Lanka, Engineer S. P. C. Sugeeshwara said.

The proposed three-year programme envisages approximately Rs. 35 billion in Treasury funding and a further Rs. 65 billion through public-private partnerships.

Speaking at a media briefing on the Aththama programme, Sugeeshwara said the project report had received approval from the Department of National Planning. He expected the proposal to be approved through the forthcoming Budget.

The programme was prepared following instructions from the President to develop a comprehensive national response to waste-management problems, he said.

An expert committee had contributed technical advice without charge, and its recommendations had been used to prepare the project report.

Sugeeshwara said the proposed programme would address shortcomings in waste collection, transport, treatment and disposal. It would include recycling, generating energy from waste and providing sanitary landfill facilities for waste requiring disposal.

He acknowledged that local authorities were not managing waste to the required standard, but said many lacked the equipment and facilities needed to perform their duties properly.

Some authorities were using tractors that were 20 to 25 years old, while compactors were also ageing. Reliable vehicles and other equipment had not been provided for a considerable period, he said.

“We must accept that local authorities are not managing the task to the required standard, but there are reasons for that,” Sugeeshwara said.

The programme would address those equipment needs alongside the shortage of suitable disposal facilities.

Although Sri Lanka already had some waste-management infrastructure, it was insufficient for the volume of waste generated, he said. Waste had consequently accumulated in large dumps over many years.

Sugeeshwara was responding to questions about indiscriminate dumping and instances in which local authorities themselves deposited waste in ways that caused pollution and unpleasant odours.

He said waste management had received inadequate attention over a prolonged period, despite its growing importance amid development and industrialisation.

The problem required a sustained, scientifically planned response.

“This is a major issue that has accumulated over 40 or 50 years. It cannot be resolved overnight,” he said.

Sugeeshwara added that Clean Sri Lanka sought to improve public behaviour through its social, environmental and ethical objectives, with waste management forming an important part of that effort.

Asked separately whether fines were being considered for people dumping waste, he said the matter fell under the Environment Ministry. He would refer the question to the Ministry, as he did not have details of any such proposal.