Materials Management Travel Highlights—Sri Lanka and Dubai

March 25, 2015

Our latest entry in our occasional “Travel Blog” series comes courtesy of Lynn Rubinstein, NERC’s Executive Director.  She recently visited Sri Lanka and Dubai.

Sri Lanka

While there are solid waste services in Sri Lanka, the services are reportedly not always well coordinated and many areas remain unserved. Recycling also lags behind. Historically waste has been disposed in “garbage mounds.” In 2010, the Western Province Waste Management Authority (WMA) was enlisted to manage waste from the Western Province a densely populated region, where about 60% of the country’s waste is generated.

WMA kicked out the mafia which had “allowed” people to scavenge materials at the region’s 25-acre garbage mound. Scavengers were registered with the WMA and provided boots, nose pads, gloves, and uniforms to salvage at the site. WMA provided a platform for them to sell their materials and brought in companies to purchase separated materials at a reasonable price. A compost yard was also established to divert organics from the garbage disposal area. Garbage is now regularly buried and covered with soil.

Through the Sustainable Cities Program in Sri Lanka, the United Nation’s Habitat outlined a solid waste management strategy for the Western Province and conducted a number of demonstration projects, including the Sustainable Colombo Core-Area Project. One demo-project focused on reducing public market waste needing to be collected, by installing a biogas unit that would take all local market wastes. The bio-gas unit was constructed at a children's orphanage so that the biogas generated could be used to supplement the energy needs of the orphanage.

The Badowita Community Based Collection and Sorting Centre is one of the first efforts to promote active community participation in better managing solid waste collection and disposal. Due to limited solid waste collection in the region, disposal of garbage in roadside drains was a common problem. The project has helped residents be able to reduce mixed waste entering the municipal waste stream and has resulted in a successful micro enterprise for low income residents through sale of sorted recyclables.

Not much in the way of recycling was noticed by Lynn in her travels until she saw these two recycling bins—for plastics (orange) and composting (green)—in Udawalawe National Park.

Dubai

The Emirates Environmental Group organized a “Can Collection” Drive campaign in 2013 aimed at spreading awareness about proper waste management and recycling. The goal is to increase recovery of aluminum cans, currently at a low 5%. There are a number of small recycling plants located in Dubai. A large “Dubai Recycling Park” to be located in Dubai Industrial City has been in the works for a number of years.

Another campaign in Dubai— “My City, My Environment”—is phasing in door-to-door recycling service in the city. Participating communities (now at 15) receive recycling collection every other day. Residents are asked to sort rubbish into two “wheelie bins,” a green one for recyclables and black one for trash. According to the article, the maids—apparently responsible for home trash removal—now find their job easier as they no longer have to take the recyclables up to the store to be recycled. Private companies provide the hauling services.

Currently Dubai is recycling 20 to 25% of its waste. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and emir of Dubai, has directed that a recycling goal of 75% be reached by 2021. By 2020, all of the emirate should be included in the curbside recycling program. Some 55% of Dubai’s waste is food scraps.

Recycling and reuse were very visible in the Dubai airport. Interestingly, airplane "prohibited" items are collected in separate bins...hopefully for reuse!

And, this fascinating “excess baggage” disposal option!