Mayor Soumini Jain has said that the Kochi Corporation will strictly enforce segregation of waste at source. Waste would not be collected from homes unless it was segregated, she said. The Mayor was speaking after inaugurating ‘Eco-cetera’, an eco-friendly flea market organised at St. Teresa’s College (Autonomous) on Monday.
The flea market is part of ‘Project Zero — Waste Free Living’, a public relations campaign being organised by final year students of the Department of Communicative English to create awareness about zero-waste lifestyle.
The Mayor said while the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant in Kochi was still developing the capacity to deal with massive quantities of waste generated in the city, the public had to support waste management activities by segregating waste generated at home.
Even when people segregate waste, they often put biodegradable waste in plastic bags before disposing it, she said. The Mayor lauded the students’ initiative. She visited stalls that displayed and sold items such as eco-friendly brooms, brushes, biodegradable sanitary pads, clay magnets and keychains. Students also raised funds through a food stall that promoted only ethical alternatives to plastic for food packaging.
T.M. Venugopalan, former Senior Supervisor of Research and Development at Hindustan Paper Corporation; Dr. Tessy Anthony C., Associate Professor and Principal in-charge; and Saumya John, HoD, Department of Communicative English, were present.
