A collection drive undertaken by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for non-biodegradable waste, including plastic and glass items, witnessed a huge response in the city.
Long queues at collection centres resulted in traffic snarls at Pipinmoodu, Jagathy, Vanchiyoor, and Kazhakuttam. At some places, where patience ran thin, unruly crowds dumped waste materials on roadsides. However, with the corporation having adopted adequate arrangements, the situation was soon brought under control.
Official sources said discards weighing around 140 tonnes were collected at the 11 collection points. These included 32 tonnes of plastic, 98 tonnes of glass products, and tube-lights weighing 10 tonnes.
While the four-hour drive was scheduled to conclude at 12 p.m., the huge quantity of waste forced corporation workers to stretch the exercise by nearly an hour at various points.
Health inspector R.P. Anoop Roy, the project-in-charge of the My City, Beautiful City campaign, said 26 vehicles, including three heavy vehicles meant for transporting waste, were utilised to collect the items.
While around 18 tonnes of plastic waste was transported to Nagercoil for recycling, the remaining would be taken on Monday. The glass discards were being delivered to a recycling agency based at Pappanamcode.
The corporation is planning to organise a collection drive for footwear, bags, and e-waste, possibly in April.
