Kalutara, Sri Lanka – June 27, 2025:
The Negombo Recycling Club (Pvt) Limited (NRC), a Regional Block Grantee of the Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for Sri Lanka (PLEASE) project from Sri Lanka, officially commenced the test run operations of the country’s first state-of-the-art fully integrated plastic recycling plant today. Located in Milleniya, Horana, this groundbreaking facility represents a key achievement under the Building a Blue Lanka by Uplifting Communities (BLUECAP) initiative, supported by the PLEASE project.
The test run welcomed representatives from the South Asia Co-Operative Environment Programme (SACEP)’s PLEASE project implementation unit, UNOPS, and the Ministry of Environment, and from partner organisations Janathakshan and Eco Spindles.
The event kicked off with a brief introduction to the BLUECAP project and its broader objective to strengthen the recovery and recycling rate of post-consumer solid waste in Sri Lanka. The invitees were then taken through a guided-tour of the facility and its cutting-edge machinery, with live demonstrations of the recycling hub’s plastic washing line, pelletizing machine, and the Wood-Plastic Composite (WPC) compounding machine.
NRC’s recycling facility is designed to process large volumes of plastic waste, especially High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS) & Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) collected from 15 districts across Sri Lanka through 15 Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) established and strengthened by NRC under the PLEASE project. Of the 10 new MRFs set up, five are women-owned, marking a significant innovation in Sri Lanka. The collected plastics are then transformed into durable WPC products, using wood powder or coir dust. These innovative WPC products are used in local furniture and construction industries, and exported to international markets, reducing Sri Lanka’s dependence on imported plastic raw materials and generating much-needed foreign exchange.
A key feature of the initiative is the deliberate creation of space for meaningful women’s participation within the recycling facility. By ensuring that at least 30% of roles in the facility are filled by women, the project not only promotes gender equity but also actively empowers women to take on leadership and decision-making roles within the waste management and recycling sector.
This newly built facility by NRC sets a new benchmark for sustainable waste management in Sri Lanka and the wide South Asian region, addressing the growing plastic waste crisis while promoting green innovation, job creation, and national economic resilience. Aligned with the National Action Plan on Plastic Waste Management 2021-2030 by the Ministry of Environment, the initiative exemplifies how sustainability can be integrated with social equity and offers a scalable model for tackling plastic pollution while fostering holistic development. With long-term goals centered on environmental stewardship and community empowerment, this facility represents not just a milestone, but a transformative step towards a circular and inclusive economy in Sri Lanka.
