The Hindu : Front Page : New garbage collection system from March

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Saturday, Jan 28, 2006

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New garbage collection system from March

Staff Reporter

Solid waste management to be made mandatory

Thiruvananthapuram: Solid waste management will be made mandatory for hospitals, apartment buildings, wedding halls and slaughterhouses in the city, Mayor C. Jayan Babu said here on Friday.

Addressing a meeting of the Corporation Council, he said licences for such institutions would be issued only if they are equipped with adequate facilities to handle their garage output.

The council approved a pilot project to streamline the garbage collection system in 25 wards. The new mechanism covering 50,000 households will be implemented from March.

The Rs.7.02-crore project primarily involves the segregation of waste at source. The corporation will provide all houses in the 25 wards with plastic garbage containers of two different colours, one for the biodegradable waste material and the other for the nondegradable refuse. Hospitals, markets and slaughterhouses will be provided with larger containers that can be mechanically removed.

Moving a resolution seeking approval for the project, Health standing committee chairman G.R. Anil said Kudumbasree units, voluntary agencies and residents' associations would be involved in the primary collection of garbage. A ward-level committee chaired by the councillor will be constituted to monitor the programme.

Mr. Anil said the project would promote alternative methods of garbage treatment such as vermicomposting and biogas production and the recycling of inert wastes such as plastic, metal and glass. He said stern action would be taken against litterbugs.

In the run-up to the programme, the corporation will launch a campaign to discourage littering of public places. Sanitation workers will be provided with wheelbarrows, and dumper containers will be installed near hospitals, markets and colonies.

The Mayor said moves were on to streamline the operation of the treatment plant at Vilappilsala and set up a sanitary landfill to dispose of inert wastes. He said a monitoring mechanism would be put in place to assess the performance of sanitation workers. According to the project report prepared by an expert committee, household wastes constitute 50 per cent of the 300 tonnes of garbage generated daily in the city. Hotels generate 20 tonnes and commercial establishments contribute 25 tonnes. The rest of the solid waste comes from schools, wedding halls, slaughterhouses and public places.

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