| Title |
Evaluation of circular economy potential of plastic waste in Sri Lanka |
| ID_Doc |
2032 |
| Authors |
Samarasinghe, K; Kumar, SP; Visvanathan, C |
| Title |
Evaluation of circular economy potential of plastic waste in Sri Lanka |
| Year |
2021 |
| Published |
Environmental Quality Management, 31, 1 |
| DOI |
10.1002/tqem.21732 |
| Abstract |
With increasing industrialization and high growing coastal population in Sri Lanka, plastic waste in municipal solid waste has increased tremendously over the past few decades. Plastic consumption in Sri Lanka is increasing at 16% annually with a current consumption of 265,000 megagram (Mg) per annum. If the current trends continue, a large amount of plastics will end up in an open environment threatening natural ecosystems. An attempt was carried out to understand the plastic material flow within Sri Lanka in the year 2017. Through material flow analysis, plastic material flow cycle consisting of nine processes was categorized. The plastic collection and recycling efficiencies were found to be 33% and 3%, respectively. The total quantity of plastics washed into the sea could have been approximated to 69,427 Mg. The per capita contribution is about 3.3 kg. With the integration of the plastic waste circular economy to the Renewable Energy Development Plan (2019-2025) of Sri Lanka, various scenarios were developed for the year 2025. Source segregation of plastic wastes, landfill mining to recover nonrecyclable plastics for energy production, and integration of formal and informal sectors are the three key recommendations to transform to a more vibrant circular economy. |
| Author Keywords |
circular economy; marine plastic pollution; material flow analysis; plastic recycling; plastic waste management; plastics |
| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) |
| EID |
WOS:001126554000009 |
| WoS Category |
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology; Engineering, Environmental; Environmental Sciences |
| Research Area |
Science & Technology - Other Topics; Engineering; Environmental Sciences & Ecology |
| PDF |
|