This study examined plastic waste management in Sri Lanka, concentrating on the contributing factors to plastic waste generation and collection. Data were gathered through a questionnaire survey from registered plastic recycling and management centres. The analysis revealed a positive correlation between tourist arrivals and plastic waste generation, indicating increased plastic waste production due to tourism spanning from 2014 to 2022. However, plastic waste collection negatively correlated with precipitation levels, suggesting heavy rainfall hampers collection efforts. This study found HDPE, PVC, LDPE, and PP to be the most collected and recycled plastic types, whereas PS and PET recycling were less prevalent. The results demonstrate the need for enhanced recycling infrastructure and highlight the necessity for government participation in plastic waste management initiatives. This study recommends increasing waste collection and recycling during the tourist season. In addition to enhancing public and private awareness, there should be additional investment in recycling facilities. The findings offer crucial insights into plastic waste management in Sri Lanka, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts and comprehensive strategies to tackle plastic pollution.

Recent research has shown that ceilings play a significant role in enhancing thermal comfort and indoor air quality within the built environment, particularly in tropical climates. However, this can result in excessive energy consumption as traditional methods struggle to maintain a comfortable temperature indoors. To address this issue, the objective of the research was to develop a cost-effective, thermally insulated ceiling sheet system that reduces the operational energy required for temperature control and ensures consistent temperatures within enclosed spaces. The researchers devised an insulation panel using readily available natural fibers, specifically coconut coir, which possesses excellent insulation properties. The proposed system was modeled and compared with two other scenarios: Calicut roofing without any insulation and Calicut roofing with Expanded Polystyrene Insulation (EPS). The results of the study demonstrated that the single-layer insulation system achieved a remarkable 65% reduction in temperature variation when compared to the traditional roofing system. These findings highlight the efficacy of the proposed low-cost, thermally insulated ceiling sheet system in improving indoor thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption for temperature regulation in tropical climates.

Integrating building technology systems into urban green buildings is an emerging building movement in developed countries to create a paradigm of a human-oriented built environment inside workspaces. This paper aims at the conversion of green buildings to smart-green facilities, initiated to develop an employee-oriented built environment in urban green office buildings using decision-making models. The study identifies the factors affecting employee satisfaction as building-related factors, non-building-related factors, Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), and Structural Equation Model (SEM) through a comprehensive literature review. Extensive bibliographic research has been conducted over 21 years to understand the relationship between decision-making models and employee satisfaction in green office buildings. This paper provides an overall ideology of the impact of green office buildings and the conversion to buildings focusing on employee satisfaction. The study concludes by introducing an integrated MCDA and SEM method to create a less complex hybrid decision-making model to create an improved employee-friendly built environment.