MWRP Sri Lanka: Building Consensus on Sri Lanka’s Extended Producer Responsibility Approach

Over the past several years, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), the private sector, and environmental groups, among others, have recognized the importance of managing post-consumer plastics to reduce pollution and improve public health, city aesthetics, and disaster mitigation.

Over the past several years, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), the private sector, and environmental groups, among others, have recognized the importance of managing post-consumer plastics to reduce pollution and improve public health, city aesthetics, and disaster mitigation. In response, GoSL, notably the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment (MMDE) and the Central Environment Authority, have proposed an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)1 approach to encourage the proper management of post-consumer plastics. To support GoSL with its approach, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) received a grant under the Municipal Waste Recycling Program. In collaboration with representatives from the private sector and government, CCC set up a National EPR Steering Committee, tasked with developing a roadmap to establish and implement a public-private EPR mechanism.

 Providing Essential Technical and Advisory Support

CCC, in partnership with Biodiversity Sri Lanka, is providing essential technical and advisory capacity support to the private sector and GoSL representatives on the EPR Steering Committee to introduce the proposed EPR approach. With the support of CCC, technical working groups analyzed the plastic value chain and researched global EPR practices and their relevance to Sri Lanka’s context to help inform the committee. The working groups also identified potential future EPR legislation/regulations that might impact governmental and private sector entities in Sri Lanka; and reviewed alternative EPR financial models and governance and implementation approaches.

 A New EPR Roadmap

With support from CCC, the EPR Steering Committee is focused on developing a national EPR policy framework and establishing an EPR operating environment structure. The MMDE, with input from CCC technical experts, is drafting EPR-related legislation and formulating a new EPR roadmap in Sri Lanka. The draft EPR roadmap has gained broad support from various stakeholders, including public sector representatives.