Waste dumped in public places: Middlemen take the cake
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Middlemen play a primary role in the dumping of waste in public places. The waste from hotels and meat shops is being collected for a price by middlemen who then transport it in trucks to be dumped in deserted places.
A viable business for many, the fines implemented does not seem to worry the offenders. Often those caught and charged are repeated offenders. Depending on the shops and the amount of waste, the amount collected by middlemen vary. Shops pay from D50 to D500 per day for carting away the waste.
Despite efforts from the city corporation, waste dumping in public places continues due to the lack of a feasible bio-waste management system.
"There are large amounts of poultry waste generated. Waste is collected on the basis of weight. Neither do we know where the waste is disposed, nor do we have any effective means to dispose the waste," said a butcher shop owner.
"Piles of waste brought in trucks and vans are caught across the city, especially along the bypass stretch. The waste from shops, hotels and butcher shops in rural areas are carted off to deserted places. In the Kochuveli region comprising large portions of land but less number of inhabitants, people leave heaps of waste at night, bringing them from outside the city limits," said a corporation official. The official felt that a government-level intervention is crucial in bio-waste management."We need an isolated region for this. This is an immediate threat which should be addressed soon," he said.