Turning plastic waste into works of art

Kottarakara block panchayat will display the artefacts in its soon-to-be-opened museum

January 08, 2020 11:16 pm | Updated 11:16 pm IST - KOLLAM

There will not be much electronic and plastic junk left in Kottarakara as the block panchayat is planning to turn them into artefacts for its soon-to-be-opened museum.

The objective of the project is to popularise scientific methods of waste processing and spread awareness about permanent waste management systems.

Along with artefacts and sculptures, models of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste-processing systems will be displayed.

“We will be displaying the models of Thumboormuzhi aerobic compost unit, ring composting and pipe composting so that the public will get an idea of various waste management systems,” says block panchayat president S. Sasikumar.

Kottarakara block panchayat has the biggest plastic-shredding facility in the district that started functioning near its office in February last. Currently, the 2,500-sq ft unit supervised by Green Kerala Company receives plastic waste from several places, including areas outside the panchayat.

“The waste brought to the unit will be used for making the items to be exhibited at the museum. Sculptors with expertise in the field will be hired to create works of art out of discarded objects,” Mr. Sasikumar says.

Waste collection system

Trash will be transformed into sculptures, toys, chairs, waste-processing models, and home décor articles. An amount of ₹10 lakh will be used from the Plan fund to construct 1,000-sq ft museum next to the processing plant.

“We already have a very efficient non-biodegradable waste collection system in place with collection points in all panchayats. At the plant, the plastic first gets sorted into some twenty-plus categories. It is then baled to be sold and we recently sold plastic worth ₹3.5 lakh. Plastic that cannot be recycled will be shredded,” he says. The museum will also showcase plastic-waste disposal methods, including the segregation process.

“We get a lot of visitors at the processing unit and the museum will be an ideal platform to educate the public about how to handle trash. We will hire the artists this month and the museum will be opened shortly,” he adds.

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