SL faces looming crisis over solar panels and battery waste, warns CECB

• There has been no visible effort from the government to address the disposal of hybrid vehicle batteries or laptop components

By Indika Sri Aravinda  

The Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) has raised alarms over a potential environmental crisis within the next 25 years, warning that solar panels, hybrid vehicle batteries, and other electronic components could become a major issue due to lack of a proper disposal and recycling plans.  
Sanjaya Wijesinghe, General Manager (Projects) of the CECB, stated that the lifespan of solar panels typically ends in 25 years, yet there are no government plans in place for the recycling or disposal of these panels, as well as batteries from hybrid vehicles, electronic vehicles, laptops, and computers.  
Accordingly, research by international teams has highlighted the risk that improper disposal could change the soil structure, making it infertile and unsuitable for agriculture. This poses a direct threat to Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector, which is vital to the country’s economy.  
Countries like China and Japan have already allocated unpopulated areas to manage the disposal of such components, and some have even developed programmes to re-export used parts. In contrast, Sri Lanka is yet to implement any such system, despite the growing urgency of the issue, he said.  
Wijesinghe emphasized that there has been no visible effort from the government to address the disposal of hybrid vehicle batteries or laptop components over the past decade. He urged immediate action to prevent a looming crisis that could significantly impact the country’s environment and agriculture.