Your garbage problem is not your neighbours' problem: Minister

GARBAGE disposal remains a challenge to the environment and most people have got used to dumping their garbage by throwing them over the fence in to the neighbours' garden, Science and Technology Minister Professor Tissa Vitarana said.

The Minister speaking at a seminar on 'sustainable disposal of solid waste organised by the Chamber of Construction Industry, Sri Lanka at Galadari Hotel recently.

This problem should be looked in a corrective perspective and should make the maximum use of it as resources. The garbage can be converted into some useful products that would benefit the society, the Minister said.

Vitarana said in India, even the disposal of excreta is done in a useful manner. "There is an anaerobic fermentation process to produce biogas and develop them as small industries. It is a very good fertiliser and a simple technology is needed," Vitarana said.

"We should look at this problem seriously, if not it will become a serious economic and social problem. The magnitude of the solid waste problem is that it is the main reason for causing diseases such as diarrhoea, dengue and malaria.

Owing to breeding of flies, mosquitoes and stray dogs that flock to contaminated water, coconut husks and rotten food and the awful sell, diseases spread rapidly. The problem of rabies in urban areas is serious as stray dogs survive in accumulated solid waste," the Minister said.

"We have to provide facilities in every home to work out a system to collect papers, bottles etc. The collected plastic items too can be re-cycled," he said.

The Minister was hopeful that the outcome of this workshop discussion would help in not only the authorities to execute plans to solve the problem of disposing solid waste, but also to make use of them in converting to resources beneficial to the country.

Karunasena Hettiarachchi, Chairman of Central Environmental Centre, Surath Wickremasinghe, President, Chamber of Construction Industry and Dakshitha Thalgodapitiya, Secretary General Chamber of Construction Industry also spoke.