The pilot project was rolled out on Pamunugama 2nd street, with active participation of the local community, with the support of international boutique consultancy firm, Solutions Ground Pvt. Ltd.
GRCA, a community-based collective of informal resource collectors, has long believed in the value of waste and the dignity of labour.
Their members identify, sort, and transport recyclable materials, contributing directly to environmental protection and their own livelihoods.
This model recognizes their role as essential and equal partners in the fight against pollution.
Complimenting their model, the Adopt-a-Street concept empowers a single street to take collective responsibility for its plastic waste by encouraging residents to segregate recyclable plastics at home.
These are then collected daily by trained members of GRCA, a community-based group of committed informal waste collectors who play a vital yet often unrecognized role in Sri Lanka’s recycling ecosystem, and routed directly into the recycling stream, contributing to a closed-loop circular economy.
The initiative offers a practical, replicable model for localized plastic waste management that can be scaled across the country.
Solutions Ground will continue to work closely with GRCA, ensuring effective monitoring, evaluation, and the development of systems that allow for long-term replication and success.
This first execution was carried out with the support and presence of the Public Health Inspector (PHI), the Grama Niladhari, GRCA members, and residents of the street.
A designated community bin was placed at the entrance to facilitate ongoing waste collection, symbolizing the street’s long-term commitment to reducing plastic pollution through responsible disposal and recycling.
Sharing her pride with the attendees of the event, Achini Shiwanthi, President, GRCA added,
“As informal resource collectors, we’ve always believed there is value in what others throw away.
This initiative helps recognize our work and shows that real change starts on the ground, on real streets with real people doing their part every day.”
GRCA is driven by the belief that waste has value, and that solutions to pollution must be built on local partnerships and inclusion.
“The Adopt-a-Street program is not just an ad-hoc cleanup initiative to all of us involved.
We see this as a commitment to sustained daily action and collective responsibility,” added Lalithra Wickramasinghe – Head of Sustainability and Project management from Solutions Ground.
“It shows what’s possible when a community and its waste collectors come together with a shared purpose; to protect the environment and create systems that last.”
GRCA and Solutions Ground now invite corporates, development partners, concerned citizens, and members of the diplomatic community to adopt their own streets and support the expansion of this pioneering model.
This is a replicable, and scalable system, and with more allies, it can transform how plastic waste is managed across Sri Lanka.
Solutions Ground and GRCA will continue to monitor the project in Pamunugama and work with other communities interested in adopting the model.