After getting rid of nearly all the legacy waste dumped in its yard over the last three decades, the Koothattukulam municipality along the eastern border of the district is set to shift to a waste disposal system converting biodegradable waste into bio-manure by the end of the year.
The municipality had roped in a Kattapana-based ex-servicemen charitable society approved by the Suchitwa Mission for the disposal of the piled up waste. The agency, which was selected through e-tender for the ₹25 lakh-project, started the work a week back.
While the sorting of waste and loading into lorries were done during the daytime, the transportation was restricted to the night to avoid inconveniencing the public.
“Already about 85% of the waste has been removed using the contracted amount. A few more lakhs would be needed to clear the nearly 70 cents of the dumping yard, which will be done soon,” said municipal chairman Joy Abraham.
He said the municipality had maintained photographic evidence of every truckload of waste transported out of the dumping yard to ensure that there were no irregularities and that the agency worked at optimum capacity.
Thumboormuzhi model
Once the dumping yard is cleared, the municipality plans to adopt an aerobic composting technique popularly known as the ‘Thumboormuzhi model’ for converting the waste into bio-manure, the sale of which is expected to bring in revenue.
“We are about to distribute three separate bins to shops and establishments in the municipality for segregated collection of biodegradable, non-biodegradable and plastic waste,” said Mr. Abraham.
Green army
Health standing committee chairman Sunny Kuriakose said a green army for waste collection had been formed. However, the waste collection will be largely restricted to traders and only a limited number of households from the town area will be covered.
Mr. Abraham said that since the municipality was a largely agrarian society, majority of the households had the capacity to treat waste at source. The municipality would help set up compost pits or bio-bins, wherever needed.
In the wake of the pandemic, the municipality also plans to set up a plastic shredding unit along with an incinerator to deal with the increasingly large volume of used masks.
