Gunadamin Elephant House, the CSR arm of Elephant House, entered into a partnership with Viridis, a collector and recycler of discarded plastic, to renovate and upgrade its recycling plant.
Located within the Panagoda Templeburg Industrial Zone, the Viridis recycling plant processes 750 metric tons of plastic waste annually.
Elephant House took steps to partner with Viridis to upgrade its recycling plant, through investments in infrastructure, to increase the collection of PET and other plastic and ensure a greener Sri Lanka,
Having successfully completed the renovations and infrastructure upgrades, the upscaled plant was unveiled recently.
Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Director of Environment Pollution Control and Chemical Management Division Mahinda Werahara and Director of Solid Waste Management, Ms. H.P.S Jayasekara, senior officials representing the Ministry, Elephant House, Viridis were present.
The opening ceremony marked a milestone, with both parties pledging to continue working together towards expanding PET and other plastic waste collection across the country, and help improve the rate of recycling in Sri Lanka.
Dr. Anil Jasinghe said, “Thanks to Ceylon Cold Stores for investing in and supporting local organisations to collect and recycle plastic. Young groups should be appreciated for joining together with such institutions and supporting projects to protect the environment. We are committed to providing our full support to Viridis for their future work.”
President, Consumer Foods Sector, John Keells Holdings, at Ceylon Cold Stores, Daminda Gamlath said, “This is an important moment for both Elephant House and Viridis. We have worked together to improve plastic recycling capacities, and will continue to work in partnership to improve the collection and recycling of PET plastics, helping to reduce our impact on the environment.”
Managing Director at Viridis, Nilantha Gamage said, “We are grateful that Gunadamin Elephant House was willing to commit to the investment required to expand our facilities and capacity. Now we are ready to meet the demands for plastic recycling in Sri Lanka, and work towards minimising plastic pollution, together with partners such as Gunadamin Elephant House.”