Recently, the residents
of Vadavukodu-Puthencruz panchayats gave a three-month deadline for the
civic body to come up with an alternative system to dispose plastic
waste generated in the city and threatened them with closure. Though
there are viable options available, according to experts, the civic body
is unwilling to explore these possibilities and planning to continue
the practice of dumping waste at Brahmapuram.

Waste management
experts, who have studied the crisis in the city, contend that the local
body has overlooked the need for scientific segregation of waste.
Though academic institutions have offered help in training Kudumbasree
workers to segregate plastic, based on its significance and economic
value, the corporation has not responded to such initiatives. According
to experts, the civic body should be able to bring in agencies that
collect plastic at a mutually agreed price. This method will save the
corporation from the troubles of transporting and dumping plastic at
Brahmapuram.

“Many industries functioning within the state and
neighbouring states require plastic as raw material. There are private
agencies engaged in collection of segregated plastic, and local bodies
should make use of this facility,” said V Shivanandan Achari, assistant
professor, department of environmental studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat).

Municipalities such as Maradu have been following this system for the
last one year. The local body has 33 divisions and they have clubbed
three divisions to form a unit.

Kudumbasree workers are given
11 tricycles. Workers in each unit collect plastic waste from houses and
other establishments. “They bring the waste to an enclosure where it is
further segregated and sold to a private agency which takes the plastic
to various industrial units in Tamil Nadu,” said T K Devarajan,
chairman, Maradu municipality.

Explaining the flip side of the
system, he said that if the agency did not turn up to collect waste, it
would adversely affect waste collection and disposal in the
municipality.

“Though this method has been successful since its
implementation in May 2012, for the last one week the agency has not
collected plastic. Now, we have to sort out the issue,” he added.