Five days after the launch of the one-time waste clearance plan of the Kozhikode Corporation, more than 250 tonnes of plastic waste have been removed from various wards. A schedule has been fixed for the collection, and ward sanitation committees and Haritha Karma Sena members collect the waste from each ward and load it into trucks.
“The one-time clearance programme is progressing well and is expected to be completed by June 10. We have a total of around 750 tonnes of plastic to be removed,” said S. Jayasree, health standing committee chairperson.
The Corporation was unable to transport the plastic waste collected from the wards by Haritha Karma Sena members, as its material recovery facility (MRF) at West Hill was filled beyond capacity. The one at Njeliyanparamba has been temporarily closed for the construction of the waste-to-energy plant. Complaints were raised by the public and the councillors about the hygiene risk posed by the piles of plastic waste. The Haritha Karma Sena had stopped collecting them at some places, causing a waste-crisis in the city. The one-time clearance has come as a solution to the issue.
The Corporation had eight respondents for the expression of interest called for the clearance, from which Green Worms, a Suchitwa Mission-empanelled firm, was selected. Green Worms will be paid ₹4 per kilogram of plastic transported out of the city. The plastic thus collected will be taken to Green Worms’ recycling unit, where it will be processed.
From June 15 onwards, the Corporation plans to take the freshly collected plastic to its MRFs at West Hill and Nellikode, while the one at Njeliyanparamba may be used conditionally. The 60 newly recruited Haritha Karma Sena members will be deployed at the MRFs where the waste will be segregated and sold. Sale of segregated waste is expected to earn the Haritha Karma Sena a monthly revenue as well, said Ms. Jayasree.
