Assessing the potential of Waste for Life in Sri Lanka

The industrialisation of ‘developing’ countries in Asia has triggered rapid economic growth and urbanisation, placing serious pressure on waste disposal infrastructure. The people who suffer most from improper management of solid waste are the urban poor, however waste can also be a resource; up to 2% of the population in Asian cities survives by collecting recyclable or reusable waste. This is then sold to middlemen, who in turn sell the materials to recycling companies. Whilst their activities have significant environmental benefits, informal waste collectors face discrimination and harassment, and are also exposed to unsanitary conditions and disease.

Waste for Life (WFL) is an international not-for-profit organisation of designers, engineers, architects, artists, students and local community groups who work with informal waste collectors to develop and apply poverty-reducing solutions to waste problems. Engineers play a key role in this group through the design of low-cost technologies to convert potentially harmful waste materials with very low value to higher-value products, improving the livelihoods of some of the poorest members of society. In Maseru, Lesotho, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, local co-operatives together with WFL are creating processes to transform waste plastic and fibre into natural fibre composites for products such as insulating roof tiles and wallets. This allows informal waste collectors to diversify; by producing and selling products directly to the community, they can improve their livelihoods and working conditions.

In Sri Lanka, less than half of all municipal solid waste generated is collected by local authorities and as a result illegal dumping and burning of waste is commonplace. Collected waste is dumped by authorities in poorly-managed, unsanitary landfills. Informal waste collectors are widespread, visiting households door-to-door and picking waste from roadsides and dump sites to survive.

This project is assessing WFL as an option for waste management and poverty reduction in two cities in the Western Province of Sri Lanka.

Waste for Life is currently in need of funding and resources for the manufacture of hotpresses. Donations of funds (which can be made on the Waste for Life website, wasteforlife.org) or old machinery which might be of use to Waste for Life would be appreciated.

Waste for Life would also welcome any volunteers from the waste recycling industry who would like to contribute their expertise to projects like this