Taking up the #Trashtag challenge, a group of 20 students from the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) on Sunday cleaned up a patch on the varsity premises in Thrikkakkara, which had been dimly lit and had been the perfect place for those dumping household waste.
Segregating waste, the students collected 100 bags of inorganic waste, including five bags of glass bottles, two bags of plastic bottles and rest comprising all types of plastic. The waste would be disposed scientifically through different agencies, said Ramees Rahman, who coordinated and led the challenge.
Paper and food waste was taken care of by digging a pit under a tree, where it could turn to manure. With regard to plastics, the Thrikkakara municipality has extended help by agreeing to pick it up during the week. Scrap dealers have been engaged to collect plastic bottles and glass bottles.
Mr. Rahman, a research scholar in Applied Mathematics, told The Hindu that people preferred to throw waste on the streets rather than engaging scrap dealers for a small amount. Disposing organic waste was easy, but instead people put it in plastic bags, making it rot, he said. Sanitary napkins and diapers were found during the clean-up besides identity cards and ATM cards. A request would be made to the Thrikkakara municipality to install bins at the place, he added.
The #Trashtag challenge was introduced in 2015 and had gone viral. A few had taken it up in Mumbai and Nagaland, but no one in Kerala had done it, said Mr. Rahman.