Over 24,400 kg of segregated plastic was collected by the government-run Clean Kerala Company from various local bodies in Ernakulam from December 1 to December 31, 2022.
Ernakulam stood at the 11th position district-wise in terms of the total quantity of segregated plastic procured by the agency in the past one month. Thrissur was in the first place, with a total collection of 1,06,600 kg of segregated waste followed by Kannur (1,06,369 kg).
Non-biodegradable waste is collected by Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) members who visit the doorstep of households and commercial establishments on a regular basis. Clean Kerala Company collected segregated plastic from local bodies at a rate varying from ₹7 to ₹21 as per the type and classification of waste. HKS volunteers in the district were paid a total remuneration of ₹12.99 lakh in the month of December last year for their services.
Ernakulam was at the second position district-wise in the production of shredded plastic. Around 2,000 kg of shredded plastic was supplied from the company’s facility in Muvattupuzha in December. The contractors involved in road construction pay around ₹24 for a kilogram of shredded plastic to the company on the government’s directive that local bodies must construct at least 20% of new roads using plastic waste by mixing it with bitumen for road laying. Shredded plastic and bitumen are mixed at 165-degree centigrade at tar mixing units and laid out on the road before it cools.
