In a significant step towards sustainable plastic waste management, Island Climate Initiative (ICI) officially launched GP Certified, Sri Lanka’s first certification mechanism for high-quality recycled plastics. The launch event, held in Colombo, brought together key stakeholders—including FMCG brands, recyclers, policymakers, and environmental advocates – to introduce the future of sustainable packaging in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka generates thousands of tonnes of plastic waste annually, yet only 4% is recycled. Most plastic waste is either burned or dumped into landfills, polluting our oceans and waterways. GP Certified aims to change this by promoting better recycling practices and encouraging FMCG companies to use recycled plastics in their packaging. This will reduce reliance on imported virgin plastics and less plastic waste will enter the environment.

The GP certification provides recyclers with clear industry guidelines to ensure plastics are recycled to higher standards under safe, ethical and environmentally responsible conditions. This means FMCG companies can confidently and safely use recycled plastics in their packaging, supporting a more sustainable circular economy.Speaking at the launch event, Mr Chaminda Rajapakse, Managing Director of Island Climate Initiative, stated: “With GP Certified, plastic waste becomes something useful – empowering our communities, strengthening local businesses, saving foreign exchange and protecting our island’s natural beauty.”

A key feature of GP Certified is its certification label, which will be displayed on FMCG packaging made with verified recycled plastic. This label guarantees that the packaging meets strict standards across three key areas: safety, ensuring that recycled materials comply with health and hygiene requirements; quality, verifying durability and usability in packaging applications; and sustainability, promoting ethical sourcing and responsible waste management.

This initiative will also help recyclers adopt best practices, provide better working conditions, and drive demand for recycled plastics in Sri Lanka’s FMCG sector.”The GP Certified initiative is a game-changer for the recycling industry. It ensures that the plastics we process meet high standards for safety and quality, which will not only boost consumer confidence but also increase demand for recycled plastics from the FMCG sector.” – Chullaka Hapuarachch, Ecopoly (Pvt) Ltd.
GP Certified is funded by the PLEASE Project, implemented by the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme, supported by the World Bank, with implementing support from UNOPS.

The World Indoor Cricket Federation (WICF) has awarded the Ceylon Indoor Cricket Association (CICA) the 12th World Cup 2025 on the back of having conducted a very successful World Masters’ Series only 5 months ago.

This event will be worked off under the following 4 categories:
– Men’s Open
– Women’s Open
– Under 22 Boys
– Under 22 Girls

Teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, England, UAE, Singapore, USA and hosts Sri Lanka will be seen in action.

The tournament will be held from the 27th of September to the 05th of October 2025 and games will be conducted at Austasia Sports Complex and the newly built at U Pro Arena, in Thalawathugoda.

Approximately 1000 players, officials & supporters are expected in the country for this prestigious event with an appreciable media coverage made possible in all major nations involved. Apart from being a major sporting event, it will also serve as a popular sports tourism opportunity for the host country at a time the tourism sector in the island nation is witnessing an upward trend in arrivals.

Over the last year there has been much activity relating to International Indoor Cricket in Sri Lanka. The England Asia Cup was followed by the Masters World Series, with the upgraded U Pro, Colombo & Austasia, Thalawathugoda facility producing exciting action on a daily basis.

The inaugural edition of the World Cup was held in 1995, in Birmingham, England with Bristol also hosting one in that country. Australia has witnessed 03 events in Melbourne & Brisbane, with the former being the venue for the last event in 2022.

Wellington was the host city when the Indoor Cricket World Cup was held twice in New Zealand. Johannesburg & Gauteng were the cities involved when South Africa acted as the host country on two occasions.

Dubai was also a venue once. Colombo is the host city for the 02nd occasion after a lapse of 21 years, bringing Sri Lanka into the limelight of Indoor Cricket World Cup action, this year.

Australia has won all world titles in both divisions up to now. In the Men’s category, New Zealand have been runners up on 08 instances, South Africa twice & Sri Lanka once. In the Women’s category, South Africa have been Runners Up 07 times while New Zealand have done so 03 times.

The Election Commission of Sri Lanka has announced the dates allocated for the marking of postal votes in the 2025 Local Government (LG) Elections.

Accordingly, postal voting for the LG Polls will be held on April 22, 23 and 24 at all District Secretariats and election offices.

Meanwhile, those unable to mark postal votes on the aforementioned dates can do so on April 28 and 29, the Election Commission said.

Maximum spending limit set for candidates

The Election Commission of Sri Lanka has announced the maximum spending limit allowed for each candidate during the upcoming Local Government (LG) Elections.

Accordingly, the spending limit allowed per candidate at the upcoming LG polls is Rs. 74 per voter for the Mannar Ward, which is the lowest spending amount.

Rs. 160 per voter is permitted for the Lahugala Ward, which is the highest amount that a candidate can spend per voter across all wards in Sri Lanka, according to the Election Commission.

The spending ceiling of the remaining LG institutions is in between, the commission adds.
Mannar, Poonakari and Dehiattakandiya LG Polls on May 6

Elections for the Poonakari, Mannar, and Dehiattakandiya local government institutions will be held together with the 2025 Local Government (LG) Polls, the Election Commission announced.

Accordingly, the elections for the abovementioned local government bodies will be held on May 06, 2025, the commission said today (March 27).

The acceptance of nominations for the Poonakari, Mannar, and Dehiattakandiya LG institutions were held separately from the other LG institutions across the island, and the process ended at 12:00 noon today.

The nomination process for these Local Government bodies had been delayed due to court proceedings, however, the petitions which had been filed over these LG bodies were later withdrawn by the petitioning parties.