Eco Spindles ramps up efforts in driving forward Sri Lanka’s sustainability agenda; aims to increase plastic recycling by 10%

Eco Spindles, Sri Lanka’s largest plastics recycler equipped with one of only two plants in the world capable of creating polyester yarn directly from recycled PET plastic flakes, has significantly bolstered Sri Lanka’s recycling capabilities by creating an ecosystem for recycling within the country.

This year, the company has seen the culmination of its significant investments and efforts in setting up an efficient mechanism for the collection of plastics, creating a network of corporate partnerships and increasing consumer awareness.

These efforts collectively seek to raise Sri Lanka’s recycling rate of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastics from around 15% at present to 20% to 25% by the end of 2022.

“Recycling requires collaboration between diverse stakeholders, ranging from households to collectors to the private sector and beyond. Hence, Eco Spindles identified that creating a cohesive ecosystem for recycling is critical in laying a foundation for a culture of recycling in Sri Lanka. We have managed to bring the necessary stakeholders and build such a foundation to strengthen and expand recycling in the country,” explained Manoj Udawatte, CEO – Eco Spindles Recycling.

The company’s investments in recycling infrastructure enable Eco Spindles to collect approximately 6 million PET bottles monthly in Sri Lanka. This is expected to increase to more than 9 million PET bottles once the tourism industry recovers.

These PET plastics are collected through corporate and other partners, collectors and drop-off bins for consumers/households. Drop-off bins can be located using the ‘Waste 2 Value’ mobile app available on the Google Play Store and (Apple) App Store. Currently, there are more than 400 drop-off bins in the Western Province and 50 in other areas in Sri Lanka. By the end of 2022, Eco Spindles intends to more than double this network by having 700 drop-off bins in the Western Province and 300 in other areas of the country – bringing the total within the island to 1,000.

The company has also mobilized a network of collectors to obtain used PET bottles. Currently, more than 500 collectors are registered with the company. In addition to strengthening recycling, this provides an essential source of additional income to low-income groups – such as coastal communities– particularly since the company pays the highest rate in the market for PET bottles.