A recycling drop box for disposable pens and toothbrushes was handed over to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa by Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, the PM’s Office said. 

This initiative was launched based on the shared theme of “Discipline, Not Law” to promote recycling and find economic-based sustainable waste solutions in Sri Lanka. 

The government’s sustainable agenda to collect empty carbon pens and used toothbrushes for recycling will play a prominent role in reducing the amount of plastic released to the environment, the statement said. 

Every day, 80KG of carbon pens are used in schools, which makes it a significant environmental issue. 

The Ministry of Environment signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with INSEE Cement and Atlas Sri Lanka to support this recycling project. Under this agreement, discarded waste material such as carbon pens and toothbrushes will be collected and repurposed by INSEE and Atlas. 

Each school and state institution will be given a especially-designed drop box that will hold 3,000 used pens and 500 used toothbrushes.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa appreciated this initiative, which helps tackle the recycling issue and works towards a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly Sri Lanka, it said.