Eastern Province initiates sustainable solution to ever-increasing plastic waste menace

 The Eastern Province has initiated a sustainable solution to the ever-increasing plastic waste menace causing harm to the environment by utilising green technology in converting such waste into an industrial raw material which becomes an additive to conventional asphalt, for road paving in the province.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Thusitha P. Wanigasinghe, Chief Secretary, Eastern Province and Dr. Judith Samaranayaka, MD / CTO AGC Innovate (Pvt.) Ltd at the EP Governor’s office, Trincomalee. Governor EP Anuradha Yahampath is a prime mover of the project.

The tri-partite stakeholder model of the MOU, the Governor’s office says ensures its long-term sustainability. The Eastern Province Governor’s Office represents the waste plastic source by virtue of the tonnage collected daily by the Pradeshiya Sabhas from households and industries, while the Provincial Road Development Department represents the End User with AGC Innovate being the third party in the model as the Technology Provider.

The initiative will commence with the paving of a two-kilometres of road which will consume 6 – 8 tonnes of waste plastic, to be sourced from the Batticaloa Municipal Council Waste Collection Centre, and two other identified locations.

The technology was pioneered here in 2018 under the supervision of the national regulator, RDA on a stretch of highway in Ratmalana and was certified as an environmentally suitable initiative following two years of rigorous testing and observation.

EP Governor Ms. Yahampath said at the ceremonial event that she endorsed the adoption of the technology as it was the most logical solution for the problem of plastic waste by delivering a cleaner environment, reduced the carbon footprint, saving of forex on bitumen replacement, promoting community participation in plastic waste segregation, all of which, wholly consistent with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s initiative towards the implementation of a sustainable management of plastic waste.