Keezhmad panchayat appears to have finally come to grips with the problem of plastic waste after a period of prolonged training and awareness programmes among its more than 35,000 population.
A three-pronged strategy has been adopted to overcome the problem of increasing waste heaps in the panchayat. The first step, initiated nearly two years ago, involved providing bio-bins and bio-gas plants in a phased manner to all households in the panchayat, said Abhilash Ashokan, chairman of the standing committee on health.
Bio-bins were distributed along with 10 kg of inoculum to more than 1,000 families in the current fiscal. Another 1,000 families will get the units this year, he added.
The second step was to tackle non-degradable waste like glass, plastic, rexin products like footwear and bags, thermocol, and electronic products. A drive to collect such items ended in December last year. As many as 14 loads of non-degradable materials were collected and aggregated to be sent to an agency based in Kozhikode for processing and recycling, Mr. Ashokan said.
The third step involved the formation of Haritha Sena or Green Army, comprising 35 women. They were first engaged in a campaign to create awareness about the importance of proper disposal of plastic waste. The Haritha Sena will soon begin collection of clean plastic from households charging ₹60 per month.
The panchayat has initiated measures to collect bio-fertilizer from bio-bins that have been distributed to households.