Thiruvananthapuram corporation ropes in private firms for plastic, e-waste management

THIRUVANANTHAURAM: The health wing of city corporation, in a clear move to distance itself from Clean Kerala Company, has engaged two private parties for collection of e-waste and plastic waste from the city. The decision has also nullified possibilities for realizing the proposed steps finalized during the last meeting held between Clean Kerala Company and the civic body. As per the meeting, the corporation had verbally agreed to set up a segregation centre at Muttathara where plastic would be segregated so that Clean Kerala Company could hand over it to a firm.

However, this decision had not gone down well with the officials who had pointed out that corporation might as well set up the centre on its own and oversee transport of plastic waste.

Clean Kerala Company had earlier made it clear that it could accept plastic waste once in three months, a condition which was difficult for the officials to follow considering the enormous quantity of plastic and e-waste being generated in the city.

The health wing has already transferred three loads of plastic waste with the help of two private firms. The corporation is also planning to set up three resource recovery centres at Jagathy, Muttathara and Putharikandom so that a permanent system for collection, segregation and transport of plastic waste is established in the city. This will be finalized once the new council assumes power.

It is also learnt that the private firms have agreed to pay the corporation more than what is paid by Clean Kerala Company if plastic is given cleaned and segregated based on grades. Clean Kerala Company, which has collected 187 tonnes of plastic waste from across the state till May, pays Rs 5/kg to the civic bodies.

"We don't find any point in engaging a party which doesn't do anything but act as an intermediary. As civic bodies we could find our own ways for recycling plastic waste and corporation is going ahead with the plan," said an official.

The civic body has not handed over any plastic waste to Clean Kerala Company for the past five months after differences arose between the company and the corporation. Until March 2015, corporation had a backlog of 2,500kg plastic waste.

The company later came up with a proposal that corporation should set up a segregation centre from where plastic waste could be transported. At present e-waste and plastic trash are heaped in front of health offices in each ward, a problem which will be resolved with the setting up of permanent resource recovery centres in the city.