In November 2016, the new landfill was inaugurated and handed over to local authorities.

This facility is an important part of the integrated solid waste management system being implemented with twelve government bodies in the Batticaloa district, in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.

UNOPS is providing the technical and operational support for the overall process.

"The landfill is the most visible component of the waste management system. It is essential to ensure that waste is disposed in a way that will not damage the environment nor affect the communities in any negative way. Most important however will be community participation in the segregation and re-cycling of waste, and the efficient service delivery provided by local authorities in collection and processing," said UNOPS Director and Representative in Sri Lanka, Françoise Jacob, at the inauguration ceremony.

While landfills improve local waste-management, their operation and management can be costly. In order to lower the cost, UNOPS promotes the use of shared facilities as a way to optimize the initial investment. The new landfill will be used by eight of the 12 local authorities in Batticaloa.

The work was implemented under the European Union-funded Support to District Development Programme (EU-SDDP). With funding of 60 million euros, EU-SDDP supports social development in seven conflict-affected districts across Sri Lanka.