Sri Lanka faces an escalating environmental challenge with non-recyclable plastic waste in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) streams. Traditional disposal methods, open burning and landfilling, pose significant health and environmental risks, from toxic emissions to greenhouse gas generation and harmful leachate formation, that contaminates soil and groundwater.
Due to significant lapses in source segregation, MSW is often collected as mixed waste, creating many challenges for proper waste management. The complexity demands innovative approaches to handling diverse waste streams while maintaining environmental standards and regulatory compliance.
The magnitude of the problem is staggering. Sri Lanka generates approximately 7,000-8,000 tonnes of solid waste daily1, with the Colombo district alone contributing 1,200-1,500 tonnes2. An estimated 262 open dumpsites3 They are scattered across the country, lacking proper lining, leachate treatment, or gas capture methods, leading to uncontrolled air, soil, and water pollution.
The crisis has arisen due to multiple systemic failures, including inadequate source segregation, as recyclable, organic, hazardous, and non-recyclable materials get mixed, making it difficult to process. Though Sri Lanka has some recycling capacity for PET bottles and rigid plastics, low-value, contamination of the recyclables with other materials, and the composite nature of the packaging make recycling using existing technologies impossible. The 2017 Meethotamulla landfill collapse tragically highlighted the severity of unmanaged municipal solid waste.
Aggravating these challenges, only 40-50% of waste is officially collected4 Low public awareness about proper disposal, including open burning of plastics, continues to exacerbate the problem. Wildlife faces particular threats, with elephants ingesting plastics from dumpsites, leading to fatal blockages.
INSEE Ecocycle is a pioneering solution provider, offering co-processing technology as a unique industry process that combines clinker manufacturing with industrial waste treatment in a single, integrated operation. This globally accepted method simultaneously addresses environmental concerns and resource recovery, transforming environmental burdens into valuable resources while creating a win-win scenario for waste management and industrial operations by reducing the usage of fossil fuels.
This process operates at extreme temperatures above 1,450 degrees Celsius with residence times of 4-6 seconds, ensuring complete thermal destruction of waste materials. This high-temperature environment guarantees total combustion under rigorously controlled conditions, leaving zero ash and no organic residues, a significant advantage over traditional incineration methods.
Co-processing follows the established waste management hierarchy, prioritizing resource recovery and energy generation over disposal. We have reduced 104,912 tons of CO emissions in 2024 by using waste as an alternative fuel in the cement manufacturing process, minimizing fossil fuel usage. The process ensures complete material and energy recovery, maximizes resource utilization, and maintains strict environmental compliance. 104,912 ton of CO2 reduced by AF feeding in 2024.
Continuous monitoring and emission control systems, which are mandatory for co-processing, guarantee the process meets all regulatory technical standards. The comprehensive co-processing technology has earned recognition from international organisations, including the World Health Organisation, GIZ, Basel Convention, and Stockholm Convention, as a world-class sustainable waste management solution.
In Sri Lanka, the technology has received strong support from environmental authorities. The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and Provincial Environmental Authority of the North-Western Province have approved and authorized co-processing via licensing and actively encourage it as a sustainable waste management solution.
Working with over 100 municipal councils across Sri Lanka, INSEE Ecocycle collects, segregates, pre-processes, and safely disposes of municipal council waste via co-processing. Moreover, with experience and proven efficiency, the company can manage over 15,000 tons of sorted non-recyclable non-biodegradable MSW annually.
The versatility positions INSEE Ecocycle as Sri Lanka’s premier waste management solutions provider, capable of handling diverse waste streams that traditional disposal methods cannot safely manage.
The co-processing breakthrough addresses Sri Lanka’s non-recyclable plastic waste crisis, transforming environmental burdens into valuable energy resources. The company has demonstrated how innovative co-processing technology can tackle specific challenges of non-recyclable plastics that standard recycling processes cannot address.
The success of co-processing for non-recyclable plastic waste in Sri Lanka proves that developing nations can implement advanced environmental technologies to solve complex waste challenges through industrial symbiosis. As Sri Lanka continues to face mounting volumes of non-recyclable plastic waste, from hard plastic to multilayer packaging to contaminated films, INSEE Ecocycle’s co-processing solution offers the definitive way forward and a scalable solution that eliminates the need for open burning and landfilling, protects public health, preserves the environment, and supports sustainable economic development.
Through continuous innovation and commitment to environmental excellence, INSEE Ecocycle is pioneering a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable future for Sri Lanka.
INSEE Ecocycle : Because Tomorrow Matters
2. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1870490/FULLTEXT01.pdf
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