Mary Joseph, a resident of Puthuppally gram panchayat in Kerala's Kottayam district, lives in daily hope that the garbage truck will finally appear and clear away the plastic waste in her kitchen. “It has been two months since they last came and we never know when to expect them,” she said.
Waste disposal has been a huge headache for Puthuppally gram panchayat officials because of the non-availability of land. “We do not have land to dump waste. We had identified a spot near Aymenam, but we were forced to change our plans following residents' protests,” said a gram panchayat official.
In the absence of proper waste management system, people in Puthuppally have been burning garbage in open space, polluting the air.
Environmental activists said garbage burning and waste dumping are on the rise across the state. This has prompted Haritha Keralam Mission, or Green Kerala Mission, which works for a clean environment, to take actions against those who pollute the environment. “Strict action will be taken against those who dump and burn garbage in public places,” said a release from the mission on Tuesday.
'Don't throw, don't burn'
Kerala launched the 'Haritha Keralam Mission' in 2016, three years before the union government mooted a ban on single-use plastic. The ban on single-use plastic came into effect today (October 2).
The mission has changed people's perception about waste collection and disposal.
“Our aim is to create an environment where waste can be recycled or made into compost,” said T N Seema, executive vice-chairperson of the mission.
The mission has so far reached out to more than 20 lakh people. “We urge people 'don't throw, don't burn waste'. We believe our campaign has been largely successful,” she said.
The mission has teamed up with the pollution control board, health department, gram panchayats, food safety department and police departments for implementing its programmes.
Green protocol
Seema said the mission is now urging people to boycott single-use plastic as part of its 'Green Protocol' campaign. “We urge people to use reusable items everyday. Around 4,000 government offices have adopted the Green Protocol. Our target for 2019 is 10,000 government offices,” she said.
Environmental activist Professor M K Prasad agree that spreading awareness is the key to reduce plastic waste. "People should be informed about the ill-effects of plastic use. Education is the key," he said.
The mission has published a book titled Haritha Niyamangal, or green laws, which is being used to educate people about the penalties for dumping waste at public places. “We are currently training officials of the gram panchayats. We educate them on penalties for offences,” Manoj said.
Plastic waste collection
At present, plastic waste segregation, collection and disposal are being done by 'Haritha Karma Sena', or Green Task Force, and Clean Kerala Company (CKC).
The plastic waste is segregated from solid waste at the Material Collection Facilities (MCF) set up by the government. The segregation is done by women from the Haritha Karmasena. The state has 629 MCFs.
The Haritha Karmasena comprises women from Kudumbashree units, a poverty eradication and women empowerment programme. Around 3,200 women associate with the force across the state.
The sorted plastic is then handed over to the CKC - a joint venture of the state government and local self governments - for recycling.
“So far we handed over 9,708 tonnes of plastic to the company. They sell the waste to plastic manufacturers and to the public works department for road construction,” said Manoj.
While these options exist, dearth of land to dispose waste continues to remain a huge challenge. “Everybody says they want to go litter-free but don't want a collection centre near their neighbourhood. This 'not in my premises attitude' is a problem,” Manoj said.
C Jayakumar, director of environmental advocacy group Thanal, said this issue can be tackled only by the local self government.
Perinthalmanna municipality in Malappuram district is now shredding and converting chicken waste into manure. The Kunnamkulam municipality in Thrissur has been converting organic waste into compost for farmers.
The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has been collecting different types of waste each day. “They issued a pocket calendar which tells you which waste - solild or plastic - will be collected today. I look at the calender immediately after I wake up. It reminds me what I must keep ready for that day,” said Jayakumar.
