THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : To curb public littering and bring behavioural changes among the public to ensure responsible and scientific handling of waste, the local self-government department (LSGD), as part of the Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam campaign, has re-launched the age-old dustbins in public places, tourist destinations, market places and bus stops.
The authorities have identified thousands of points across the state where public dustbins will be installed.
As part of the initiative, the LSGD is planning to install 20,530 dustbins in government institutions, 4,231 bins in public places, including markets and bus stands, and 416 at tourist destinations. In addition, the authorities are planning to install 26,757 dustbins on public roads every 500m.
LSG Minister M B Rajesh told TNIE that dustbins will help bring behavioural changes among the public and make them more responsible in waste management. “We didn’t introduce dustbins in the initial stage of the campaign because the situation was not ideal and we were not sure about their upkeep and management. Now we have come a long way and door-to-door collection of waste has been strengthened in the state. This has helped reduce public dumping of household waste,” said the minister.
He said bulk waste generators are the only challenge in front of the local bodies. “We have made it mandatory for shops and establishments to install dustbins on their premises and hand over the waste to Haritha Karma Sena members daily. Dustbins will be installed at public places, roads and wherever required,” he said. The LSGD has also decided to step up surveillance in areas where dustbins would be installed to prevent illegal dumping.
“CCTVs are also being installed in these areas where dustbins will be installed to curb illegal dumping. Tourist destinations and public places are two key areas we will be giving major thrust. The waste generated by the floating population and tourists needs to be handled scientifically. We need to give them solutions to avoid public littering. Once the dustbins and bottle booths are installed, they will be able to deposit the waste in the bins,” said Rajesh.