Plastic collection drive at Muhamma

In a bid to make the local body plastic-free, the Muhamma panchayat will kick-start a plastic collection drive from next month.

As part of the project, a plastic collection unit has been set up at Thaduthuveli in the panchayat. Panchayat president J. Jayalal said the unit was constructed at a cost of ₹6.50 lakh allocated to it by the Suchitwa Mission. The unit will be inaugurated in May.

Haritha Sena

Plastic waste from households and establishments will be collected once every month. “Our aim is to get the panchayat rid of plastic and solid waste. We have already formed a green army, Pathiramanal Haritha Sena, by recruiting two members each from the 16 wards for collecting plastic from houses and establishments in the panchayat. The Haritha Sena will visit every household and other places on the fifth day of every month and collect plastic,” Mr. Jayalal said.

Officials said the Haritha Sena would only collect dried and hygienic plastic. “Residents should thoroughly wash plastic bags and kits used for packing items such as fish, milk, and meat before handing them over to Haritha Sena members,” an official said.

The panchayat will charge a nominal fee of ₹30 from every household and ₹50 from institutions. The amount will be utilised for distributing salary to Haritha Sena members.

“The panchayat committee has already taken a decision to collect a nominal fee for collecting plastic. The households and establishments will be provided receipt for the fee collected. Every year, institutions will have to submit 12 receipts to authorities in order to get their licence renewed.

We have also decided to enhance the monitoring mechanism to ensure that non-biodegradable waste is not burned or buried in the panchayat limits.

Stringent action will be initiated against those indulging in burying or burning and dumping of plastic in water bodies.