Municipal Solid Waste Management in the Western Province of Sri Lanka: Awareness, Legal Framework or Fund Allocation?

Abstract

The intertwined relationship of extraction of waste to its disposal could be defined as Solid Waste Management (SWM). Even a quarter of a century after the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which recommended the 3R principle to maximize the extraction–disposal relationship, SWM have not achieved a sufficient degree of satisfaction at the global level. This article examines the effectiveness of SWM practices in the Western Province (WP) of Sri Lanka and evaluates other related issues. Primary investigations showed that 99.82 per cent of the waste collected by the local authorities (LAs) in WP end up at open dump sites. Correlation analysis carried out on 187 questionnaires showed that all independent variables have positive Spearman's rho correlations with the effectiveness of SWM. The ratio of fund allocation for SWM over other expenditures by the LAs had a great impact (r = 0.525). The strength of legal framework to enforce correct SWM was of secondary importance (r = 0.365). The research shows that the long-believed factor— the awareness of stakeholders—has little impact on the effectiveness of SWM. Under these conditions, on the basis of the results of the present investigations, the article recommends enhancing fund allocation to build infrastructure for SWM and strengthening the law enforcement scenario to achieve an effective SWM. The results can be generalized for other provinces of Sri Lanka and other developing countries as well where Corruption Perception Index is high.