KOCHI: Damaged computers and ditched smartphones seem to be opening up a potential job opportunity for hundreds of Kudumbasree workers in Ernakulam.
The government’s decision to appoint ‘haritha senas’ to collect non-biodegradable waste in local bodies across the State has provided women members of Kudumbasree with the twin carrots of earning a monthly income and being part of the ‘waste-free Kerala’ initiative. Official estimates showed that over 2,500 Kudumbasree volunteers will be required in Ernakulam alone in the first phase of the collection of non-biodegradable waste from the doorstep of thousands of families. The pilot team was launched at Kunnukara grama panchayat where as many as 12 Kudumbasree workers were engaged in door-to-door collection of non-biodegradable waste.
They will visit each household once in a month. The local bodies that engage the services of Kudumbasree members will collect a monthly user fee from each family. Officials of Suchitwa Mission said the user fee ranges from ₹30 to ₹50 in accordance with decisions taken by the local bodies concerned. The user fee will be higher for shops and business establishments seeking the services of Kudumbasree workers in the collection of non-biodegradable waste in view of the larger quantities of materials generated on a monthly basis.
The local bodies could increase the number of haritha sena members based on the requirements in each area. The number of green volunteers required for collection of non-biodegradable waste and user-fee from each household will be fixed on the basis of the detailed project reports prepared by the local bodies.
The green volunteers will be offered training in collecting waste from each household. They will also popularise the government’s initiatives in making the State free of waste by encouraging people to adopt a sustainable method of waste collection and disposal.
The haritha sena members will sort the non-biodegradable waste at the material collection facility set up by the local bodies.
A policy document prepared by the Haritha Mission had said that paper and plastic waste would be collected from houses once in every month. The green volunteers will collect breakable glass materials, medicine strips, toothpaste, cosmetic items, tubes and covers on a periodic basis. The haritha sena members will also reach the homes to collect e-waste once in every six months and leather products once in a year.
