Plasticcycle together with the Sri Lanka Navy embarked on a collaborative pilot
project to provide a solution to non-recyclable plastic waste. Plasticcycle will
contribute to the development and testing of a prototype chamber for the Sri Lanka
Navy, to produce value added products such as flower pots and ornamental statues
using non-recyclable plastic waste, which is aimed at being self-sustaining.
The signing of the MoU for this pilot project took place on the 18th of February
2019, with signatories Dilani Alagaratnam – John Keells Group President
– Human Resources, Legal, CSR, Sustainability and Vice Admiral K.K.V.P.H. De
Silva – the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy.
The technology has been developed by the Sri Lanka Navy Marine Conservation and
Monitoring Unit, consisting of a melting chamber and molding machine, allowing the
non-recyclable plastic waste to be melted and then shaped into various products
using pre-fabricated molds.
The project in its initial phase will be conducted at the Crow Island Navy Camp,
where a large buildup of Plastic waste is observed leaving the mouth of the Kelani
River and collecting on the Crow Island Beach. The accumulated plastic is collected
through weekly beach clean-ups organized by members of the Sri Lanka Navy however,
due to the level of contamination with sand and other impurities, recycling of these
materials has proven difficult thus far.
Plasticcycle has committed to provide the necessary equipment to improve the process
further, as well as to provide the necessary safety gear required for the personnel
of operating the machinery. If successful, on completion of pilot phase, this
project can be replicated to other parts of the country where the accumulation of
non-recyclable plastic waste is significant.
Also in attendance at the ceremony were; Rear Admiral N.P.S. Attygalle –
Director General Operations, Sri Lanka Navy, Nisreen Rehmanjee – Vice
President John Keells Group & Head of Tax and Social Entrepreneurship Project
and Buddhika Muthukumarana – Manager Social Entrepreneurship Project.
“Plasticcycle” is a Social Entrepreneurship Project launched in July 2017 by John
Keells Holdings PLC (JKH), Sri Lanka’s largest listed conglomerate in the
Colombo Stock Exchange operating over 70 companies in 7 diverse industry sectors.
JKH provides employment to over 13,000 persons and has been ranked as Sri
Lanka’s ‘Most Respected Entity’ for 13 years. Whilst being a full
member of the World Economic Forum and a Member of the UN Global Compact, JKH drives
its vision of “empowering the nation for tomorrow,” through the John
Keells Foundation.
