Make Your Own Coconut Shell Bowl
Turn a discarded coconut shell into a useful handmade bowl while learning why the coconut tree is known as the Tree of Life in Sri Lanka.
RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL STOP · SIGIRIYA
Sri Lanka by Tuk Tuk, Bike or Self-Drive
Drive deeper. Travel responsibly.
Travelling independently across Sri Lanka gives you the freedom to discover villages, communities and places beyond the usual tourist route.
If your journey takes you through Sigiriya, make ZeroPlastic Impact Center one of your meaningful stops.
Why stop here
-
Travel responsibly
Reduce unnecessary plastic and refill instead of buying another bottle.
-
Support local livelihoods
Discover products and experiences connected to local makers and artisan families.
-
Keep plastic out of nature
Bring suitable plastic collected during your journey to the ZeroPlastic Elephant.
-
Support a registered non-profit
Your visit supports the wider environmental and community work of ZeroPlastic Movement, a registered Sri Lankan non-profit.
Your road trip
Turn Your Road Trip Into Positive Impact
-
DRIVE
Explore Sri Lanka independently by tuk-tuk, bike, scooter or car.
-
COLLECT
Keep suitable plastic bottles and travel plastic safely with you rather than leaving them behind.
-
DROP
Bring them to the ZeroPlastic Elephant at the Impact Center in Sigiriya.
-
REFILL
Refill your reusable drinking-water bottle free of charge.
-
CREATE
See bottle lids and recovered materials transformed into small ornaments or useful products.
-
SUPPORT
Discover products sourced from 249 local artisan families and support Sri Lankan craftspeople.
-
CONTINUE
Continue your journey with less waste and a stronger connection to local communities.
Hello Zero
Feed the ZeroPlastic Elephant
Travelling Sri Lanka by tuk-tuk or bike?
Keep suitable plastic from your journey safely inside your vehicle and bring it to the ZeroPlastic Impact Center in Sigiriya.
Drop it into our elephant sculpture and help keep plastic out of Sri Lanka's natural environment.
Please ask our team which plastic materials we currently accept. Not every type of plastic can be recovered.
Free for every traveller
A Useful Stop on Your Sri Lanka Road Trip
-
Free water refill
Refill your reusable drinking bottle before continuing your journey.
-
Free washroom access
Take a comfortable break during your road trip.
-
Plastic drop-off
Leave suitable plastic collected during your journey at our Impact Center.
Please ask our team which materials we currently accept.
-
Free waste-to-value demonstration
See how recovered bottle lids can be transformed into small ornaments or fridge magnets.
The demonstration is free. Hands-on craft workshops are paid and arranged separately.
Paid hands-on experiences
Make More Than a Memory
Instead of buying another ordinary souvenir, create something yourself in Sigiriya.
The bench is a working one. What is running on the day depends on which craftspeople are there, so ask the team when you arrive.
Carving, Jewellery and Mask Painting
Coconut shell carved into bowls and jewellery, and traditional mask painting, depending on who is working the bench that day.
Turn Plastic Into Something New
See recovered plastic bottle lids transformed into a small ornament, fridge magnet or creative piece.
For two
For Couples Travelling Sri Lanka
Create something together instead of buying another souvenir.
A self-drive road trip gives couples the freedom to stop somewhere meaningful. At the Impact Center you can create a handmade keepsake, learn a local craft story, support local artisans, refill your bottle and continue your journey with something that has a real story behind it.
- make a keepsake together
- take photos with the ZeroPlastic Elephant
- join a hands-on craft experience
- discover locally made products
- support Sri Lankan artisan families
- add a responsible travel stop to your road trip
For families
Things to Do in Sigiriya With Kids
Let children see what happens after we throw something away.
The Impact Center gives families a hands-on way to talk about waste, creativity, local culture and responsible travel.
Children can:
- drop travel plastic into the ZeroPlastic Elephant
- see how bottle lids can become something new
- make a coconut-shell craft in a paid workshop
- discover locally made alternatives to plastic
- meet local craft stories
- refill their bottle before getting back on the road
Suitable for families travelling independently around Sigiriya and Dambulla. Ask the team if you need guidance for younger children.
Local makers
Support Local Makers Along the Way
When you buy a locally made product at the Impact Center, your road-trip stop can also support Sri Lankan makers and communities.
- 249
- artisan families behind the products
- 1,000+
- plastic-free products on the shelves
Meet a Craftsperson on Your Journey?
Self-drive travellers often reach villages and communities that conventional tours never visit. If you meet a local craftsperson or small producer who may benefit from additional market access, tell us about them. ZeroPlastic works with local makers and communities across Sri Lanka and welcomes introductions.
On the road
Make Your Road Trip's Plastic Footprint Smaller
Responsible travel is not about being perfect. It is about making better choices during the journey.
- Carry a reusable bottle
- Refill instead of buying another disposable bottle
- Keep your waste with you
- Dispose of plastic responsibly
- Choose local products
- Support businesses working to reduce unnecessary plastic
Carry memories.
Not plastic waste.
Traveller benefit
Your Self-Drive Traveller Benefit
The discounts exist to encourage more travellers to choose local products and meaningful experiences over another mass-produced souvenir.
Partner Benefit
Registered Partner Customer
20% OFF
Customers arriving through a registered ZeroPlastic Responsible Travel Partner receive 20% off eligible Impact Center purchases and eligible paid workshop experiences.
Ask Our Team
Independent Traveller
15% OFF
Travelling with a tuk-tuk, bike, scooter, motorbike or self-drive vehicle from a rental company that is not yet registered? Ask our Impact Center team for the independent traveller discount: 15% off eligible Impact Center purchases and eligible paid workshop experiences.
Free services are available regardless of discount status where applicable:
- drinking-water refill
- washroom access
- suitable travel-plastic drop-off
- waste-to-value demonstration
Partner network
Responsible Self-Drive Travel Partners
TukTukRental.com and ZeroPlastic Impact Center Sigiriya have partnered to encourage more responsible self-drive travel across Sri Lanka.
Registered ZeroPlastic rental partners can offer their customers 20% off eligible Impact Center purchases and eligible paid workshop experiences.
Travelling with another rental company? You are welcome too.
If your rental business is not yet registered, ask them to join the ZeroPlastic Responsible Travel Partner network.
Do You Run a Tuk Tuk, Bike or Self-Drive Rental Business?
Become a ZeroPlastic Responsible Travel Partner.
If your customers travel independently across Sri Lanka, give them one more reason to make a meaningful stop in Sigiriya.
Registered partners can offer customers:
- 20% off eligible Impact Center purchases
- 20% off eligible paid workshop experiences
- free water refill
- free washroom access
- plastic drop-off
- waste-to-value demonstration
- local artisan connection
- a responsible travel experience in Sigiriya
Already sending travellers through Sigiriya? Turn one of their stops into environmental and local community impact.
Find us
A Meaningful Stop Near Sigiriya
Driving from Dambulla toward Sigiriya? Travelling through the Cultural Triangle? Exploring Sri Lanka by tuk-tuk, bike or self-drive car?
ZeroPlastic Impact Center is about 5 km before Sigiriya Rock, on the main road.
- Open
- 7:30 to 18:30, every day
- Entry
- Free entry, no ticket and no booking for a normal visit
- Typical stop
- Twenty to thirty minutes for a free walk-in visit
Or email info@zeroplastic.lk, or read more about the Impact Center.
Questions
Self-Drive Traveller Questions
Can I visit ZeroPlastic Impact Center if I rented my tuk-tuk from another company?
Yes. Independent travellers are welcome regardless of rental company.
Customers from registered ZeroPlastic rental partners receive the registered partner benefit. If your rental company is not registered, ask our team about the independent traveller discount.
What discount do self-drive travellers receive?
Customers arriving through a registered ZeroPlastic Responsible Travel Partner receive 20% off eligible Impact Center purchases and eligible paid workshop experiences.
Independent travellers arriving through a rental company that is not registered with ZeroPlastic may ask our team for the independent traveller discount: 15% off eligible Impact Center purchases and eligible paid workshop experiences.
How can my tuk-tuk rental company register?
Use the Responsible Travel Partner contact route on this page. Our team will review the request and provide the current partner terms and customer-benefit details.
Can I bring plastic collected during my road trip?
Yes. Suitable plastic can be brought to the Impact Center and placed in the ZeroPlastic Elephant.
Ask the team which materials are currently accepted. Not every type of plastic can be recovered.
Can I refill my water bottle?
Yes. Self-drive travellers can refill reusable drinking-water bottles at the Impact Center.
Can children join the activities?
Families are welcome.
Several craft and waste-awareness experiences can be suitable for children depending on the activity. Ask the team if you need guidance for younger children.
Do I have to book before visiting?
Not for a normal visit. Entry and looking around are free every day during opening hours, with no ticket and no booking.
Booking applies to paid experiences: hands-on craft workshops, and the Tree of Life experience, which requires advance booking.
Do you rent tuk-tuks?
No. ZeroPlastic Impact Center does not rent vehicles.
We work with responsible travel and rental partners and welcome independent travellers using tuk-tuks, motorbikes, scooters or self-drive cars. Already rented a tuk-tuk in Negombo, Colombo or elsewhere in Sri Lanka? You are welcome to stop in.
Where is ZeroPlastic Impact Center?
About 5 km before Sigiriya Rock, on the main road, in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka.
It is an easy stop if you are driving between Dambulla and Sigiriya, or touring the Cultural Triangle.
What can couples do at the Impact Center?
Create a handmade keepsake together in a paid craft workshop, see the ZeroPlastic Elephant, browse locally made products, refill your bottles and continue your road trip.
What can families with children do?
Children can drop travel plastic into the ZeroPlastic Elephant, watch the free waste-to-value demonstration, browse locally made alternatives to plastic and, where suitable, join a paid hands-on craft session.
More from ZeroPlastic: The facts behind ZeroPlastic, our work, sustainable travel, volunteering.