THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: To end waste woes in the city, Peringamala was identified as a suitable spot for the waste-to-energy plant by the state government. But following the concerns raised by the Environment Department about destroying the ecological diversity of the place, several protests were held to abort the decision.
Following the protest, the state government has asked the city corporation to find appropriate locations. Until the corporation finds a suitable location, officials have decided to go ahead with the decentralised waste management system.
Mayor V K Prasanth said, “As per the direction received from the district collector, we are on a spree to find suitable locations for the waste plant. As we haven't been able to spot any location yet, it has been decided to continue with the decentralised waste management system.”
In the meantime, the health wing of the department is looking for probable locations for the waste plant, especially which are owned by the government. The Mayor also said the final list of locations will be submitted to the district collector.
The city corporation has been successful in introducing other alternatives of waste plants such as community aerobic bins, material recovery facilities and home composting. Many decentralised waste management models have been introduced to tackle both biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, but they have failed to deliver expected results. As a solution to waste management problems, the corporation has started installing additional portable aerobic bins in all the public places across the city.
“Earlier we tried finding space for a meat rendering plant at Muttathara for which the government had asked the corporation to find departmental owners of the plot,” said a corporation official. He also added since most of the plots are owned by the government, it is difficult to identify the locations immediately.
More than 200 aerobic bins were installed at 17 places across the city. These temporary wooden shelters set up at different parts of the city helps treat household waste. But, most aerobic bins are dysfunctional owing to either technical glitches or lack of maintenance. As a solution, the corporation had introduced portable aerobic bins which can be easily assembled. The health wing of the corporation is currently considering mobile models of aerobic bins.