The country’s first integrated hard waste management project is in progress at the Digampathaha forest reserve on the outskirts of Matale and Anuradhapura. Foreign funds of Rs.350 million had been set aside for the purpose.
The project will cover an area of 8 acres provided by the Wildlife and Forest Conservation Department. An electric fence has been set up around the project site to protect it from wild elephants.
When the facility is complete, it will process 50 metric tonnes of garbage per day while also manufacturing organic fertiliser.
An awareness seminar on the matter was recently held at the Dambulla Municipal Council’s auditorium, where Mayor Jaliya Opatha said that the garbage accumulation had been on the rise in Matale.