KOCHI: While several local self-governing bodies were clueless about dealing with plastic waste, the Chengamanad panchayat in the district launched a project with the aim to become a plastic-free panchayat. The result: On July 1, the panchayat will be declared just that.
The drive to transform Chengamanad as a plastic-free panchayat was launched a year ago. A statement from the District Information Officer said the plastic-free drive was modelled after a similar drive conducted in Kozhikode.
Once the panchayat is declared plastic-free, the plastic waste generated will be collected from each residence and will be transported to Mysuru. The recycled plastic will be used to manufacture new goods.
In six months, 25 truckloads of plastic waste are to be collected and transported to Mysuru. An amount of `24,000 is required to collect and transport one load of plastic waste.
A decision has been taken to ban plastic carry bags at all the shops within the Chengamanad panchayat limit. In place of plastic bags, cotton bags would be distributed at the shops. For manufacturing the cotton bags, four manufacturing units have been started. The project is being implemented through Kudumbashree units. The cotton bags will be distributed at each residence to reduce the use of plastic bags.
From July 1, the Chengamanad panchayat will also impose a carpet ban on begging within its limits, as several instances of kidnapping of children were recently reported at the panchayat. Only those junk and waste collectors, who have received a clearance certificate from the police and are provided with an identity card by the panchayat, will be allowed to collect waste from houses.
Not an easy road
The cooperation of the public had proved to be a major hurdle for the panchayat in its bid to rid itself of plastic waste. For this, awareness programs were conducted. Every month, the accumulated plastic waste was collected from the residence for which `100 was charged from each house. Though people agreed to cooperate with the venture, several families were unwilling to pay `100 per month. Later, the panchayat set aside a fund for vehicles transporting the waste and stopped charging the residents.