ABSTRACT
Sri Lanka, with 18.7 million people of whom 24% are urban, ranks fourth among the SAARC countries in the level of urbanization. With some two million people, the Colombo district is the country's largest and most important urban area with an urban population of 62% and a population density of 3253 per square km (Central Bank, 1999). Some 80% of the country's industrialization is in Colombo and its neighbouring district Gampaha (Figure 15.1). While the environment in this area has not been degraded as is the case in larger Asian metropolitan areas, there is clear evidence that growth and economic development are proving to be problematic. Colombo and its peripheral districts are feeling the pressure of development and waste generation, and waste management has become one of the major environmental issues of the country.
