The Colombo Muncipal Council yesterday announced that it would not collect garbage that is not separated by households into degradable, glass and paper in an attempt to reduce the amount of garbage to be dumped in the Meethotamulla dumping site.
At an emergency press briefing held at the CMC yesterday, the Council stated the new measures would reduce the amount of garbage dumped at Meethotamulla by atleast 25 per cent.
Earlier this week, Meethotamulla residents protesting against the dumping of garbage by the CMC were forcefully removed from the site.
Colombo Mayor, A. J. M Muzammil confirmed that they would continue to dump garbage at the site as they had no other alternative.
“We haven’t thought about dumping garbage anywhere else and we will have to have hold discussions with other government officials in this regard,” he said.
He stated that they would only collect garbage that was separated after June,1.
“We don’t have the funds to separate the garbage once it is collected,” he said.
Coloured bags will be distributed to the houses and different garbage bins will be placed for the public to use, the Mayor said.
The Mayor stressed the Meethotamulla issue was politically motivated as they had always had the well being of residents in their mind.
“When the houses and the canals in the area started to develop cracks, we resettled the people in the area and provided them with a rent allowance and we are in the process of providing them with permanent houses,” he said.
The CMC said the 15 acre land owned by the UDA was given to the CMC to dump garbage after a court order in 2009 and that 10 acres of the land had been used so far.
(Nabeela Hussain) (Pix by Nisal Baduge)
