From a wake-up call about waste to a complete rethink of everyday hospitality, Annabel Allen shares her journey towards making her villa in Sri Lanka a more sustainable place for people and nature.
My eco-awakening in Sri Lanka started with a jolt. In early 2020, I discovered a circle of discarded items strewn on the earth. Old shoes, plastic bottles, plastic wrappers… a whole load of toxic waste. This was rubbish accumulated from guests who had stayed at my villa. It was about to be burned by my staff. I shouted at them to come over so I could explain the problem. By the time they arrived, an audience of neighbours was lurking on the other side of the fence. How could anyone want to burn this kind of waste and leave the ashes in the ground? My angry approach totally backfired – the staff and neighbours thought I was crazy.
Later I realised I needed to take a quieter, more patient approach. The problem was the lack of regular waste collection. In the countryside in Sri Lanka, homes and businesses are not on the regular route of the government-run garbage trucks. The local public health inspectors advise everyone to burn or bury their rubbish in their gardens. However, I wanted to find a better solution.
Discovering the Land
I started to spend more time on my property, getting acquainted with my land. Previously, I had only come on fleeting visits and left my staff to manage the guests and land. Due to the Covid pandemic, my staff left, never to return. I stayed to take charge. As I wandered around the jungle on my land, I came across piles of rubbish. Empty alcohol bottles, plastic containers, and bags had been flung into the jungle bushes with no thought for the wildlife, the earth, and the reality that the rubbish was not biodegradable. Most devastating was my discovery of several empty bottles with big labels that read “Poison.” It was some kind of deadly pesticide. I was shocked. Gradually, with the help of others, the rubbish was gathered in one shed. It waited there while I worked out what to do. I made a firm decision that no more chemical pesticides would ever be used on my land.
I contacted a local eco entrepreneur who ran a small recycling centre. He had a refreshing approach. He told me that not far from my place was the largest recycling plant in Sri Lanka. In late 2020 a man came to work for me who was eager to help. He arranged for the mountains of rubbish to be collected and taken to the recycling plant. What a relief! Since then, I have reformed the whole rubbish system for my property. The starting point is with me. How could I reduce my rubbish?
Rethinking Everyday Habits
After a total rethink, I changed my habits.
- Clothes: now purchased from second-hand shops or made sustainably. Old clothes become cleaning rags.
- No plastic bottles. Only a few old plastic bottles are kept for reuse. A clay water filter provides clean drinking water.
- No plastic shopping bags. Only reusable cloth bags, boxes, and jars are used for shopping.
- Cleaning & laundry: no chemical cleaning products, only eco-friendly laundry powder.
- Soaps: natural soaps and shampoo bars.
- Rubbish: collected regularly; as much as possible goes to the recycling plant.
- Furniture: no new furniture; broken furniture is repaired or refurbished.
- New items: natural or second-hand.
- Food: as much as possible organic or 100% natural. It is expensive to get organically certified so many small farms sell their products as “100% natural” or “free of chemicals.”
The incredible thing is that after making all the changes, the whole villa feels lighter and I feel healthier. I believe my guests will feel this too. The land and wildlife have responded in a wonderful way. Wild weeds have sprung up in abundance – they are natural medicine and food. Wide varieties of wildlife have been attracted to come to the land to make this their home. Birds, animals and insects are all part of the eco community!
Becoming an Eco Pioneer
At the moment in my area in Sri Lanka, I am a pioneer in authentic eco-friendly accommodation. In the near future, I would like to see others start to run eco B&Bs. The positive impact on the environment would be amazing!
Author: Annabel Allen. Annabel took the plunge to purchase a jungle property in Southern Sri Lanka almost 20 years ago. In recent years, she has turned it into a wild, eco paradise where guests can stay in a spacious, comfortable villa. After a career in broadcasting and law, she is now focused on inspiring positive change. She writes and publishes “wake up and shake up” fiction set in Sri Lanka and creates and delivers transformational women’s empowerment jungle training courses. She is an avid organic gardener and eco advocate, and has accumulated much knowledge of Sri Lankan wild healing weeds, plants, and trees. She loves cycling, jungle trekking, and playing with her dogs.
Eco Villa With Natural Pool, Weligama – Green Country House in Weligama, Matara, Southern Province, LK 
