Kerala - Kochi   

Segregate waste, urges Collector

Photo: H. Vibhu

UNDIGNIFIED: Corporation workers have to work in inhuman conditions as they have to manually separate biodegradable waste being taken for treatment at the Brahmapuram plant. —

KOCHI: While the presence of zero waste in the city is the vision for Kochi, the very first step involved in this is segregation of waste. District Collector M. Beena on Monday emphasised this important step while appealing to residents’ association representatives to adopt a waste management technique most suitable to them.

Waste management has to begin from each home and has to become a people’s movement to become a success, said Ms. Beena at a meeting of flat owners’ associations here on Monday. The laws suggest that waste clearing and management is the duty of the civic bodies but the involvement of the people in the process is of utmost important, she said.

About 250 workers are employed for rather inhuman work by the Corporation to segregate the waste thrown by the public. While gloves are provided to do the work, the workers find it cumbersome to untie the knots of plastic bags containing biodegradable waste.

“So, instead of blaming anybody for not doing their duty, we have to see what we have to do”, said Ms. Beena. The least that the people in the city can do is to segregate the waste generated in their homes.

In modern parlance, waste is wealth and there are a number of modern techniques which have been tested and proven, she said. The old Kerala society used to have wonderful waste management and cleanliness practices. Today’s society has to take lessons from the olden ways and move forward in tune with times, she said.

Clean Kochi project of the Kerala Builders’ Forum held a presentation of the waste management technology promoted by it.

The biobin techniques of creating manure out of kitchen waste is now being followed in 52 flats, said Kabeer B. Haroon, project director of Clean Kochi.

Some of the flat owners shared their experience in installing a waste management programme in their apartment complexes.

The attitude of the people towards managing waste was the biggest problem that the association representatives faced while implementing a programme.

An office-bearer of an apartment association had introduced the waste management practice in an educational institution successfully. The users of waste management techniques said that promoters of new technology should be ready to solve any problem arising from it.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Football fever grips Kochiites
Award for Sukumari
Singapore upbeat about prospects in Kerala
Mumbai gallery to promote Kerala art
Insurance staff plea
A question of credibility
MACTA charge
Sector-specific teams to arrive
Attracting tourists through the game of football
Kerala’s strides in IT impress Singapore team
Navy celebrates Hydrography Day
Segregate waste, urges Collector
Hartal case adjourned
Singapore business team visits Kochi
Kochi Today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu