Press Release

On 29th March 2023, the Record of Discussions was signed by Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Mr. Tetsuya YAMADA, Chief Representative, JICA Sri Lanka office for the Project for Strengthening Plastic Management Capacity, a technical cooperation project.

With plastic management a pressing global issue, in 2021, the Government of Sri Lanka developed the National Plastic Waste Management Action Plan (2021 - 2030) with assistance from UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), IGES-CCET (IGES Centre Collaborating with UNEP on Environmental Technologies), and Japanese Ministry of Environment. In line with this plan, the Center for Plastic Management of Sri Lanka was also established under the purview of CEA (Central Environmental Authority), Ministry of Environment.

This project will establish a database and a monitoring mechanism for plastic management; develop action plans and pilot activities related to plastic-waste reduction; and develop human resources for the Center for Plastic Management. Through such activities, it will also build a system for sustainable plastic waste management, thereby contributing to the strengthening of Sri Lanka's plastic management capacity.

Mr. Tetsuya YAMADA stated that "JICA has continuously supported Solid Waste Management improvement in Sri Lanka for over 20 years. The system to collect, transport, treat and dispose the waste has been comprehensively improved; thereby contributing to the improvement of public health all over the country. As a new phase of JICA's cooperation in SWM sector, this project will seek circular economy targeting on plastic. Since the plastic management system is complicated, cooperation and coordination among various public and private bodies are quite important. "I believe that our support to strengthen the capacity of the Center for Plastic Management of Sri Lanka will lead the establishment of sound and sustainable plastic management system."

Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary, Ministry of Environment stated that he was happy to note that the discussions held in this connection has led to comprehensive JICA assistance. He further stated that Plastic Waste Management was a high priority area taken up by Sri Lanka and noted that he was happy to share the experiences and knowledge with Japan who are considered to be in the frontline of managing plastic waste in the world.