What happens to your trash after you throw it away?

For most students living in boarding houses around Malabe, that question rarely comes to mind. The Rotaract Club of SLIIT decided to change that with Clean Horizons Phase 2 – SegreSmart.

Held on 26th February 2026 at Hall E102 inside the Faculty of Engineering, this two hour awareness session targeted a specific problem. A large student population, if not educated properly, can contribute significantly to improper waste disposal. The solution was not complicated. It just needed the right voice.

We invited Mr. Charith Godakumbura, the Municipal Public Health Inspector from the Kaduwela Municipal Council. Having an official representative gave the session real weight. He walked attendees through Sri Lanka’s growing waste crisis, including the devastating Meethotamulla garbage dump collapse of 2017. That single example made everyone sit up and listen.

The speaker covered the 3R principles: reduce, reuse, and recycle. But the highlight was a practical demonstration. He brought a mixed pile of garbage and asked participants to sort it into color coded bins. Watching students figure out where each item belonged turned a lecture into a hands on lesson.

The session also touched on microplastics, environmental damage to water bodies, and the legal consequences of illegal dumping. Most importantly, it connected individual habits to community wide impact.

And we are not stopping here. A visit to the Kaduwela waste management facility is already in the works, giving students a chance to see recycling and composting in action. Because real change does not happen in a two hour session. It happens when you keep showing up, keep learning, and start treating waste like the serious problem it actually is.

Penned By:

Rtr. Shenaya Jayasekara

Editorial Committee Member 25.26