Shashi Tharoor steps in to help manage Thiruvananthapuram's waste

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Fallen leaves and kitchen waste will not be a burden to the civic body and residents of the capital city in the near future. An advanced, user-friendly aerobin is being planned to help citizens compost the leaves and waste rather than burning them in the open. The project is the mastermind of Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor. The office has finalised an aerobin model, after careful scanning of different models used across the world for eco-friendly composting. Prior to this, a random survey was conducted among city residents to study their needs.  

The project was mooted after Shashi Tharoor expressed concern over the open burning of waste. "Thiruvananthapuram's long and eventful journey for a proper waste management system is coming to a full circle with the new aerobins," a  release from his office said.

The modern day apartments and homes with tiled yards provide only limited options for waste processing to the city residents."We looked into localised composting solutions and identified a device which is widely used in Europe and the United States. The selected model of aerobin comes in three sizes - of 200l, 400l and 600l. It was designed by an Australian company and is manufactured in India for export purposes," officials of the MP's office said.

Though the city corporation has set up aerobins at several locations they are inaccessible for those living far. The MP's office said the new aerobin model has an advantage over existing composting devices in the city. "It can be fed from the top and the compost can be extracted from the bottom," they said.

Tharoor has now provided the new model to the Corporation and Thanal for evaluation. One unit will also be donated to the Girls Higher Secondary School, Peroorkada. Tharoor will hand over the unit at a function on Monday at 10.30 am.