In our country the full responsibility for Solid Waste Management (SWM) issue rests on Local Authorities(LA) under the Local Authority Act. The powers related with this responsibility, has been vested on MC, UC and pradeshiya sabha. Although most of the local Authorities pay more attention to the improvement of physical resources coming within their purview, their concern toward SWM issue is low. The amount of resources utilized for SWM is relatively low.

The responsibility to find a solution to this problem of SWM which has become a National Environmental problem is not with the Ministry of Environment & Natural resources (MENR). In order to provide a proper solution, the Ministry of Environmental & Natural Resources under the direction of Hon. Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka has launched a national level programme in the name of Pilisaru under the Chairmanship of Ministry of Environment & Central Environmental Authority & along with the participation of other government organisations, private Institution, NGOs & various Technological specialists.

The word Pilisaru, in sinhala language refers to the conversion of the condition of a thing from useless state to use full state. This has become the main goal of the programme.The concept of this programme is to reutilize the disposed garbage to the maximum extent possible & to dispose the non utilizable residue.

Main aim of the Pilisaru Project is to solve solid waste problem with in the next 5 years. Under this Project waste management will be managed by adhering to reduction of waste
generation by reuse, recycling and resource recovery to the maximum extent possible followed by appropriate treatment and finally the disposal of residual waste in an environmentally sound manner.

It is expected to implement the above program for a period of 3 years commencing from 2008 in the form of a project titled 'Pilisaru Project' established in the Central Environmental Authority. The financial provisions to the tune of 5.675 billion is expected to be accrued mainly from two sources; i.e the annual budget allocations from the General Treasury and revenues generated by imposing the 'Green Tax' which was newly introduced at the 2008 Budget Speech.