The city Corporation has decided to take up campaigns for making the city waste-free and its beautification in the coming days.
The civic body’s decentralised waste management campaign will be expanded and waste dumped in all its 100 wards in the wake of COVID-19 removed, Mayor Arya Rajendran said at a press meet here on Thursday.
The campaign named ‘Anicheraam Azhakarnnoru Ananthapurikkayi’ will be held from February 19 to 25.
On February 19, the campaign will be inaugurated at five centres. These are Museum RKV Road, the Peroorkada market, Palayam TRIDA compound, Manacaud market, and Medical College TRIDA compound. It will be a mass campaign with involvement of Ministers, people’s representatives, traders’ organisations, voluntary organisations, residents’ associations, and so on, the Mayor said.
From February 20 to 25, similar campaigns will be held in each of the 100 wards of the Corporation.
Public involvement would help the masses see at close quarters the activities of the Corporation and make them take up responsibility for the waste generated by each one of them, the Mayor said.
Health inspectors had been asked to prepare comprehensive reports on waste-dumping centres in each health circle.
Spot the Dump
The Smart Trivandrum mobile application would have a new link ‘Spot the Dump’ so that people could report and upload photographs of locations where waste was being dumped.
Waste would be segregated, and non-biodegradable waste cleaned and handed over for reuse or recycle. Biodegradable waste would be turned into compost. To avoid further dumping of waste in such places, dustbins would be set up or the space maintained by the city Corporation with public support. Community composting too would be taken up wherever needed.
Thumboormuzhi-model aerobic bins would be set up in every ward for processing biodegradable waste. Material-recovery facilities too would be set up. Non-biodegradable waste collected door-to-door by agencies or the Kudumbashree would be segregated, cleaned, and handed over to Clean Kerala after discussions with the company. The rest would be scientifically processed by the civic body.
The Mayor expressed concern over the increase in the use of disposables in the wake of COVID-19, and said attempts would be made to reduce their use after consultations with traders and experts.
Biocomposter bins would be installed wherever possible to ensure reduction of waste at source. These bins and organic-waste converters would also be installed in apartment complexes subject to government directions.
Dry waste collection drives as per a calendar published by the Corporation would be resumed while door-to-door collection would be taken up by the Haritha Karma Sena.
Green credit cards
Green credit cards will be introduced to promote handover of segregated non-biodegradable waste by the public. Value for the waste handed over at material-recovery facilities as per price decided by Clean Kerala will be transferred as points entered on the green credit card, and can be used to make purchases at select stores.
A campaign for cleaning up waterbodies and their protection will also be taken up. A monitoring committee will coordinate activities of various departments for this.
