Kochi: After the Brahmapuram fire, although the corporation has not resumed the collection of plastic waste from houses, plastic piles are piling up in many places in the city. Due to the mixing of food waste and plastic waste, its disposal is becoming a big problem. At present, the Corporation is handling the plastic waste through the Clean Kerala Company. Clean Kerala company is currently handling only 10-20 tonnes of plastic waste per day. Clean Kerala Company has a big problem due to the mixing of food waste with non-organic waste. The Corporation is also in discussions with some private companies for the treatment of inorganic waste.
The non-organic waste collected by the Clean Kerala Company is brought to the godown and sorted and sent to various companies for recycling. Due to the mixing of food waste with non-organic waste, there is bad smell and it is not possible to take it to the godown and sort it. Due to this, Clean Kerala Company does not collect plastic waste containing food waste. The corporation has requested several times not to mix plastic waste with kitchen waste and throw it on the roadside. But people throw such waste in many places. It is a big challenge for the corporation to move plastic as it cannot be taken to Brahmapuram.
It is hoped that this problem will be solved when the collection of segregated waste from households starts. The corporation aims to start the operation of Harita Karmasena in the city from April 1. The government has also directed the corporation to open 25 Material Recovery Facility (MRF) facilities by April 15. Once these centers are operational, the sorting of inorganic waste will be shifted here. But in the current situation, it may take some time to implement the method of sorting waste in homes. A team including people’s representatives and NSS volunteers are conducting house-to-house campaigns to create awareness about the need for desegregation.
