Waste Management task force launched

By Chathuri Dissanayake  

The National Task Force for Management of Waste manned by the security forces and an environmental police unit is to become operational from today. 

The unit, which will function under the Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry, will monitor the collection of waste in the country. 

Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha told Daily FT the unit will have officers from the security forces monitoring waste management collection to coordinate with relevant local bodies that are responsible for collecting waste. 

The unit will also have representatives from private companies which have been awarded contracts to collect waste in different areas to ensure proper coordination is carried out, while representatives from five ministries, including the Health Ministry and Megapolis Ministry, will also be stationed to ensure a smooth operation. 

“People can also call the unit to complain about lapses in waste collection in their respective areas,” Musthapha said. 

The unit will first focus on the Western Province which is currently facing issues with garbage collection and will later be expanded to other parts of the country. 

Local Government authorities and a number of line ministries have been engaged in a tug of war over which institution is responsible for garbage collection, with Megapolis Minister Champika Ranawaka proposing to establish a National Waste Management Authority. 

As a result, garbage collection in the Western Province and Colombo city limits in particular was neglected for weeks. The municipal authorities refused to collect garbage as they were not allocated land by the Urban Development Authority to dump garbage. However, they later commenced dumping garbage in the Muthurajawela Wetland reservation, triggering protests by the area’s residents.