Opening Ceremony of the Waste Storage Center

The Waste Storage Center of the University of Colombo, funded by the Central Environmental Authority, was opened for waste storage on December 13, 2019, after a small ceremony held with the participation of the Deans, Heads of Departments, Deputy Registrars, and Senior Assistant Registrars, few other officials of the administrative- and academic staff, representatives of recycling companies, and some students of the University of Colombo. The opening ceremony was organized by the Center for Environmental Initiatives of the university, with the support of the students, Senior Asst Registrar/General Administration, Curator, and the Works Engineer. The gathering was addressed by Senior Professor Chandrika N Wijeyaratne, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Eng. JMU Indraratne, Deputy Director General/Waste Management of the Central Environmental Authority, and Dr. Erandathie Lokupitiya, Director, Center for Environmental Initiatives.

The Vote of Thanks and the concluding remarks were delivered by Ms. Madumi Kariyawasam, Environmental Officer. Waste segregation at the university and making it a polyethene – (i.e. single-use plastic) free zone has helped the reduction of the polythene/plastic waste over time, which, together with the shift to more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient lighting and equipment, has helped the university to reduce its carbon footprint. This has been mostly evident through the annual waste survey conducted by the Center for Environmental Initiatives since 2017 and the decreasing trend shown by the Faculty of Science carbon footprint since 2014. The Waste Storage Center has different compartments to store glass, plastic, paper/cardboard, e-waste, metal and other waste, and the stored waste will be periodically collected by specific recycling companies of the country.