Namal Dissanayake, the Chief Engineer of the Waste Management Unit at Kandy Municipal Council, has reported that over 250 tons of garbage were collected within the city limits during the ten-day duration of the Kandy Esala Perahera.
He explained that the amount of waste, including discarded polythene food items brought by visitors during the Perahera, averaged about 25 tons per day. Additionally, more than 15 tons of waste, which included elephant trunks discarded in areas where around a hundred elephants were stationed for the Perahera, were collected daily.
The daily waste collection also consisted of nearly five tons of items like plastic bottles and polythene toys, as well as food boxes, amounting to over five tons of discarded food.
Currently, more than 250 tons of waste are undergoing classification for recycling in Gohagoda. He further emphasized that sorting such a significant amount of garbage poses a substantial challenge.
