Elephant House has pledged their support for Zerotrash in collaboration with ‘Plasticcycle’,
the social entrepreneurship project of John Keells Group to promote recycling and better
plastic waste management practices across the country. This initiative will be funded by
Elephant House for a period of two years and will support the development of a waste
collection centre with dedicated transport and service personnel to collect post-
consumption recyclable plastic from collection points.
Zerotrash will focus on the collection and delivery of recyclable plastics to this dedicated
collection centre which will be situated in Boralesgamuwa where all waste disposed at the
location will be segregated according to the different types of plastics to avoid further
mismanagement of plastic waste. Through this partnership, Elephant House together with
Plasticcycle and Zerotrash will aim to provide better access to and awareness on the
disposal of plastic with the intention of extending the lifecycle post consumption
recyclables.
Commenting on the project John Keells Group President Consumer Foods Industry Group
Daminda Gamlath, said, “As a well-loved household brand and responsible corporate
citizen, Elephant House is delighted to be contributing towards further development of
proper waste disposal and recycling. Through our partnership with ‘Plasticcycle’, we will
focus on increasing the number of locations where the public can dispose plastic
responsibly. We are constantly looking at innovative ways to minimize the impact of plastic
usage and supporting responsible waste management.”
CEO of Zerotrash Hasanka Padukka, stated, “We all have a role to play as individuals and it is
the responsibility of each of us to make Sri Lanka a sustainable and greener place for future
generations. We believe in our partners and are confident that this partnership will greatly
benefit the nation.”
Reflecting on the partnership John Keells Group President Leisure Industry Group and Social
Entrepreneurship Suresh Rajendra added that “Partnerships between ‘Plasticcycle’ and the
Operating Companies within the John Keells Group continuously seeks out sustainable
solutions towards the reduction and rationalization of use of single use plastics, supporting
responsible disposal and promoting recycling initiatives.
The establishment of a dedicated collection centre in the Colombo district by Zero Trash, a
project funded by Ceylon Cold Stores PLC and supported by ‘Plasticcycle’, will provide for an
efficient ecosystem towards the collection and segregation of plastic waste which will
enable a greater quantity of such waste to reach recyclers rather than ending up in our dump yards and waterways. The infrastructure in place through this collaboration, will also
support the expansion of the ‘Plasticcycle’ bin network, making it easier for all of us to
recycle our plastic waste.”
Ceylon Cold Stores PLC, manufacturer & distributor of Elephant House brand, is a subsidiary
of John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH), Sri Lanka’s largest listed company in the Colombo Stock
Exchange operating over 70 companies in 7 diverse industry sectors. With a history of over
150 years, John Keells Group provides employment to over 14,000 persons and has been
ranked as Sri Lanka’s ‘Most Respected Entity’ for the last 15 Years by LMD Magazine. Whilst
being a full member of the World Economic Forum and a Participant of the UN Global
Compact, JKH drives its CSR vision of “Empowering the Nation for Tomorrow” through John
Keells Foundation and through the social entrepreneurship initiative, ‘Plasticcycle’, which is
a catalyst in significantly reducing plastic pollution in Sri Lanka.
Initiated with a vision of being the catalyst in significantly reducing plastic pollution in Sri
Lanka, ‘Plasticcycle’ was launched in 2017 through the introduction of bins to collect
recyclable plastic waste. Following the overwhelmingly positive public response, the project
expanded vastly and currently has 200 bins placed across the island.
Zerotrash is a service provider in the collection, hauling, segregation and transfer of waste
to recyclers, offering residential and commercial waste management services. Zerotrash
works towards bridging the gap between households, corporates and in streamlining the
process of collection. The company will be involved in collecting from all the ‘Plasticcycle’
bins in the Colombo District and will develop a dedicated collection centre in Colombo as
the first step and expand the operation in the future.