The TMC has an agreement with Clean Kerala Co Ltd for treating the plastic and e-waste.Organic and biodegradable waste, which constitutes 50-60 per cent of the country’s urban waste, can be converted into compost, thereby solving half of India’s waste problems.Every year the world uses 500 billion plastic bags. Achieving the objectives of the Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan is therefore practicable only if the country works towards reducing the generation of waste by inculcating simple habits like reduce, reuse and recycle, in tandem with proper segregation and treatment practices.The TMC supplied required number of waste disposal and treatment systems like three-layered bucket-sized kitchen bins and pipe bins free of cost or at nominal cost to its residents.
There is a separate provision for collecting the plastic waste from households and institutions for further treatment at the rate of Rs 60 per month. Strict penalty with fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 are levied on those who dump their waste in public.Studies show that plastic is produced more than any other human-made material, except China printed packaging film Manufacturers cement and steel.Consider the cost of disposal. This is to encourage the public to take responsibility of the garbage they generate.Consider the tale of two cities from Kerala. The Alappuzha municipality earned a few national awards and the UNEP recently recognised it as one of the five top clean cities in the world.5 lakh households are processing the bio-degradable waste at source and around 50 biogas plants have been constructed. Getting rid of large quantities of waste is often beyond the financial capacities of urban local bodies. Only dry and clean plastic covers, packets and other materials are collected and received at the designated counters.There is also poor institutional capacity and low political will to address the problem.The Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016 and the Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016 are a welcome move.As a result of the mass awareness campaign, Thiruvananthapuram city’s residents were sensitised to treat the bio-degradable waste or kitchen waste at the source itself
