Sri Lanka

Save Our Seas Initiative Fact Sheet

FACT SHEET - USAID launched the Save Our Seas Initiative in 2022 as our flagship global initiative to combat the growing threat of ocean plastic pollution. Read More

USAID Ocean Plastics Reduction Activity Fact Sheet

The USAID Ocean Plastics Reduction Activity (Ocean Plastics Reduction) is a five-year project to reduce environmental plastics by decreasing plastic inputs and improving integrated solid waste management (SWM) practices in Sri Lanka and Maldives. Read More

Faces of Change: the Women Leading the Battle to Clean Sri Lanka’s Oceans

Barely concealed beneath Sri Lanka’s breathtaking beaches and vibrant marine life lies a looming crisis that threatens to destroy this pristine paradise. For many coastal communities, the ocean plastic pollution problem is endangering fragile natural ecosystems and jeopardizing their livelihoods and health. Against this backdrop, local women have emerged as… Read More

USAID Ocean Plastics Reduction Activity

The USAID Ocean Plastics Reduction Activity is a five-year initiative (2022–2027) designed to address the growing challenge of plastic pollution in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives. Status: Active Region: Asia Country: Maldives Sri Lanka Key Documents: USAID Ocean Plastics Reduction Activity Fact… Read More

Preventing More Than One Million Tons of Plastic from Entering the Environment

How USAID’s Clean Cities, Blue Ocean program has prevented more than 127 billion plastic bottles from entering into the environment  Clean Cities, Blue Ocean, USAID’s flagship global program under the Save Our Seas Initiative, has reached a significant milestone: preventing more than one million metric tons of plastic from entering… Read More

From the Field: How a Coastal Community Revived its Waterways through Improved Waste Management

From 2019-2024, USAID’s Clean Cities, Blue Ocean program piloted solutions in Sri Lanka to strengthen local  waste management systems to reduce ocean plastic pollution. In the district of Jaffna, located on the northern tip of Sri Lanka, USAID worked with local grantee organizations to improve recycling rates–including by engaging the… Read More

Rapid Appraisal Facility Tool

The Rapid Appraisal Facility Tool (RAFT) is a form-based tool that provides solid waste management staff and planners a quick and efficient way to collect key data about a city’s current solid waste and recycling systems. Read More

Creating Economies of Scale for Plastics Recycling

Alarming levels of plastic are produced every day, much of which makes its way into the environment and our ocean. Of the seven billion metric tons of plastic waste generated globally to date, less than 10 percent has been recycled. For the world to succeed in stopping plastic waste from flowing into our oceans and damaging the environment, much higher volumes need to be collected and recycled at the source: on land. Read More

USAID and Lumala Revolutionize Waste Management Practices in Sri Lanka

In collaboration with the USAID Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) program, City Cycle Industries Manufacturing (Pvt.) Ltd., better known as Lumala, has consistently led the eco-friendly innovation charge in Sri Lanka’s bicycle industry. Read More

USAID’s Clean Cities, Blue Ocean Program Helps Prevent Over 4,600 MT of Plastic from Entering the Ocean

Thanks to a nearly three-year partnership, supported by the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), communities across Sri Lanka successfully prevented more than 4,600 metric tons of plastic from entering the ocean around Sri Lanka through the Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) program. Read More