In the densely populated Western Province of Sri Lanka, the disposal of solid waste has been a dirty – and dangerous – problem.
Thirty-two people were killed in the collapse of a mountain of waste at the Meethotamulla open dumping site in the Colombo District seven years ago. The pile of rotting debris had shifted from flooding and a fire before it collapsed and buried dozens of people living in nearby homes.
Even without such tragic disasters unfolding, untreated solid waste causes unhealthy air pollution as it decomposes, releasing harmful gasses into the air including highly flammable methane. It poisons the soil and groundwater as well.
Today, Sri Lanka’s Western Province, home to more than six million people, still produces 3,500 metric tons of household waste every day. That’s the equivalent of a stack of 2,600 compact cars or 13,000 motorcycles every day.
To tackle the persistent problem of solid waste disposal, the Western Power Company Ltd, a subsidiary of Aitken Spence PLC, launched the nation’s first waste-to-energy power plant.
Source – Newswire