THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) is partnering with the Tourism Club to introduce a novel initiative that promotes upcycling and tackles plastic pollution in a sustainable manner. The project aims to create eco-bricks using plastic waste generated at various tourism destinations in the district and use them to build sustainable structures and amenities for tourists visiting Akkulam Tourist Village.
The initiative is being launched on a pilot basis at Akkulam Tourist Village, with plans to roll it out to other tourism destinations across the state with the help of student volunteers. This comes at a time when local bodies and the state government are struggling to curb plastic pollution.
“We want to send a strong message to the public by creating something beautiful and useful out of plastic waste. Eco-bricks can make wonders and we will create seating arrangements and make the destination more attractive. This will help reduce the quantity of waste generation. Based on the success of this project we will replicate the initiative at all other destinations,” said DTPC secretary Sharon Veettil. As many as 40 volunteers have signed up to take part in the initiative, which will begin this week. The eco-bricks will be made using plastic bottles filled with dry plastic and used as building blocks for small constructions.
“The response to our invite has been overwhelming. We have consulted with experts from the civil engineering wing of colleges to get advice to make this project a reality,” said state coordinator Vijeesh Vijayan, State Tourism Club. He said the availability of raw materials will not be an issue. “After each beach clean-up drive, we collect a large quantity of plastic waste. Small seating arrangements and minor construction activities can be done using eco-bricks,” said Vijeesh.