New sustainable waste management initiative for tourism industry launched in Sri Lanka

 Tuesday, August 22, 2023 

In collaboration with significant public and private sector players, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has introduced a new sustainable waste management project for the tourism industry.

The program comprises collecting trash at the designated location, sorting it, keeping it in storage until pickup, transporting it to a recycling facility, and recycling for reuse.

The local authorities must receive the solid waste for disposal. With a strategy for each of the regions, the tourist police will work with local tourism organizations to guarantee safety and security.

The Environmental and Tourism Police, Local Government Authorities, Regional Tourism Associations, and two top private sector organizations — Ceylon Cold Stores and Viridis Pvt Limited — waste management specialists will support the program’s initial launch in five key tourist areas: Sigiriya, Ella, Bentota, Passikudah, and Negombo.

As Sri Lanka emerges from the epidemic and manages its domestic economic crises, tourism is crucial to the country’s economy. Pre-pandemic tourism contributed 12% to the nation’s GDP and brought in US $4.3 billion in 2018.

Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is eager to make sure that the nation has solid sustainable practices in place to handle the projected increase. Arrivals there hit 800,000 in early August, exceeding the total for the entire previous year.

“Sustainability is seen as an important marketing tool and differentiating factor for tourist destination promotion and development in the future and we are greatly encouraged by the support and dedication of both the public sector as well as the private sector organisations who are working together on a common action plan for waste management,” said Upali Rathnayake, Deputy Director General of SLTDA and Head of the Sustainability Unit.

“Today’s event is a direct result of our previous efforts on validating outcomes for a sustainability framework and we are greatly encouraged by the commitment we have seen today from all the stakeholders in waste management, which is a key aspect for the tourism industry,” said PiyumiKalyanawansa, Sustainability Lead, USAID-IPOP project.

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