The Batticaloa lagoon is the largest in the Batticaloa district, Sri Lanka. This lagoon is surrounded by a densely populated region.The management of liquid and solid waste has emerged as a serious environmental concern, particularly in the areas surrounding the Batticaloa lagoon due to the increasing rate of human population and waste generation.The quantity of solid waste has been rising over time due to changing consumption habits encouraged by higher living standards. In this context the present study was conducted in and around the Batticaloa lagoon of Sri Lanka to determine the composition of waste produced by households and their effects on the lagoon.The study was carried out in 26 villages connected to the lagoon environment in 9 Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Batticaloa. This study focused 200 houses with different socioeconomic levels including income level and family size.This study analyzed five different types of solid waste, including food waste, paper, polyethylene, plastic, and glass.

The results indicated that the generation of food waste (8203.74 kg/month) was higher than that of other waste types, although the production of plastic waste (256.67 kg) was substantially lower than that of all other waste types investigated in this area. Additionally, it is found that, total solid waste generation, average waste generation per household and per capita waste generation from the studied households were all assessed to be 10235 kg/month, 1.71 kg/day and 0.38 kg/day respectively. Further, only the residential waste generation showed significant positive correlation (r = 0.512, p<0.01)with family size whereas generation of polyethylene waste showed non-significant positive correlation with family size.

Before 2019, local authorities collected residential solid waste and disposed it at two dumpsites and near the lagoon area. It was a serious concern in the areas of Kattankudy and Eravur divisions.  It was observed that the lagoon near the Kankeyanodai region, close to the Kattankudy disposal site, was significantly impacted by plastic and polythene wastes that are scattered throughout the lagoon coastline for more than 1 km.The impact of this garbage disposal may be the cause of the numerous skin infections among the fishermen and the lagoon users in that area.At present, major portion of the collected waste are now disposed at the Koduwamadu and the Thiruperumthurai landfill sites and rest at the lagoon sites. Therefore, proper waste segregation at household level, collection, strict laws on the waste management and environmentally friendly waste management practices are useful to reduce the detrimental impact of waste in the study area.

Kew Words:Batticaloa lagoon, Plastic waste,Solid waste, waste management