Now, get paid by giving away coconut shells!

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the city is gearing up to welcome Vizhinjam Port, ‘Team For Trivandrum’ (TFT), a non-profit organisation which works for the city’s all-round development, has launched a new initiative that collects coconut shells from the city residents. The shells are converted into industrial products and later exported. 

City residents will be paid for the shells they offer. “The firm needs around 30 tonnes of shells monthly. Vizhinjam Port will need regular supply for exports once it is opened. The shells will be collected as raw material from the residents and converted into utilities,” says Sunil Anandapadmanabhan, co-founder of TFT. The TFT team conducted a trial collection drive on November 1 and collected around 200kg of coconut shells in two hours.

The residents will be given Rs 6 per kg for the coconut shells they provide. “We give away paper pieces and bottles from our home. Most people burn the coconut shells thinking it is useless,” adds Sunil. He says the shell collection could be easy if they contact oil mills or coconut processing plants, but they would rather not. 

“We want people to be part of this project. There are lakhs of houses in the urban area that could each contribute at least two coconut shells a day. We could get around 60 lakh shells a month this way. This alone could generate around 10-15 tonnes of shells.  We have already received numerous calls from individuals and residents’ associations,” he says. 

However, Sunil says that the collection process will be a tedious one. “It is not practical to go to every house and collect it. We will ask people to give them to respective residents’ associations. We will allot specific days for collection and the payment would be made as soon as the product is procured,” says Sunil. “It may take at least 1.5 years for the port to be completed. We want to have a consignment of the products made from these shells when the first shipment leaves from the Vizhinjam Port,” he says.