JICA technical team visits Viridis to mitigate plastic pollution in Sri Lanka

Saturday, 30 November 2024 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The JICA technical team for ‘Strengthening plastic management capacity in Sri Lanka’, headed by Dr. Naofumi Sato with members Dr. Paulo Vinicius Queiroz Sousa and Dr. Mohamed Hamza Cherki, visited Viridis to get first-hand experience on recycling efforts.

Central Environment Authority (CEA) Deputy Director General – Solid Waste Chathura Malwana and JICA Project Coordinator Nayana Samaraweera also participated and had a meeting with Viridis Chairman John Martin Stewart Phillips and Managing Director Buddhika Muthukumarana.

Founded in 2005, Viridis Ltd., is a pioneering leader in mixed plastic waste management in Sri Lanka, with nearly two decades of expertise in the industry. Registered under the BOI, Ministry of Industrial Development, Export Development Board, and Waste Management Authority, the company has made remarkable strides in environmental sustainability by recycling over 9,500 metric tons of plastic waste, including 288 million PET bottles. These efforts have significantly reduced waste that would otherwise pollute landfills, waterways, and oceans.

With its operations guided by the CEA’s standards, Viridis ensures all waste is responsibly recycled or disposed of, either internally or through certified recyclers and upcyclers. The vision of its founder, John Martin Stewart Phillips, a UK entrepreneur, brought PET bottle recycling to Sri Lanka, addressing a critical environmental challenge. Located in the Templeburg Industrial Zone in Panagoda, just 30 km from Colombo, Viridis continues to drive impactful waste management and recycling solutions for a cleaner, greener future.