Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) has sent eight tons of plastic bottles collected from the country’s coastline for recycling, NewsFirst reported.
The bottles had washed ashore along the coastal stretch running from Jaffna in the north, through Galle, down to Yala, MEPA Chairman Samantha Gunasekara said. They were gathered alongside plastic nurdles that drifted onto Sri Lanka’s shores from the MSC Elsa 3, a cargo vessel that sank in Kerala waters in May 2025 after a water leak.
Gunasekara described the cleanup as a significant milestone in clearing plastic that had harmed the island’s marine ecosystem for decades. Some 1,800 workers were deployed along the coast for the effort, he said. The cost of the operation was met by the company that owns the Elsa 3, according to the report.
Marine plastic has been a persistent burden on Sri Lanka’s coast, with debris from maritime accidents adding to everyday waste that threatens fish stocks and coastal habitats. Recovering and recycling the material, rather than leaving it to break down on beaches, is intended to limit its long-term impact on the ocean environment.
