A Review of Waste Management in Sri Lanka

The purpose of this paper is to review the existing waste management practices, regulatory and institutional framework and technologies that are being employed currently for waste management in Sri Lanka in order to understand the magnitude of non-hazardous and hazardous waste problems and how to avoid these problems. This study is mainly based on information collected from literature review covering both municipal solid waste management and hazardous waste management. Sri Lanka has well-developed legislative and well-organized institutional framework with environmental related policies, strategies and guidelines on waste management. Technologies and methods used for waste management are well accepted, but innovative technologies and strategies have to be introduced to streamline and uplift the existing waste management practices. This study also revealed that there is a high potential in private sector involvement in waste management. Considering all these aspects, a detailed comprehensive technical review and potential technology development are necessary to deal with all categories of wastes generated in Sri Lanka.