A call to end your diaper waste woes

As part of the My City Beautiful City initiative, the City Corporation has finalised a mega waste management initiative to tackle the mounting diaper and sanitary waste crisis.
For representational purposes (Express Illustrations)
For representational purposes (Express Illustrations)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: What can a missed call do? Well, it could end your diaper and sanitary napkin waste woes once and for all. Soon you will get to send a missed call to alert the designated corporation wing and they will arrive at your doorstep and collect the waste. On an average, tonnes of sanitary waste are being produced in the city every month and the mounting garbage has been the Corporation's persistent problems.

As part of the My City Beautiful City initiative, the City Corporation has finalised a mega waste management initiative to tackle the mounting diaper and sanitary waste crisis. "Bio-medical waste can only be managed using incinerators. Irresponsible disposal of these wastes cause innumerable problems. With this waste management method, we can manage the waste in a more scientific manner," said mayor V K Prasanth. The napkin destroyers will be set up at the various waste management units under it, including aerobic bin units whereby we can manage the waste without causing pollution, he said.

"Moreover, we are trying to ensure some sort of responsibility from the companies as well to provide bags to collect these waste. They have a responsibility and we will invoke the EPR(Extended Producer Responsibility) and ensure their participation," he said. According to the Mayor, the thrust will always be on reducing the waste and gradually phasing out of such waste. For this, the Corporation will be providing alternative cloth pads to the public with the setting up of a cloth pad making unit. The pilot phase will be implemented in five locations in the city which will then be expanded to incorporate the whole of the city. Residents who want to avail the facility must register with the Corporat i o n and send a missed call when the need arises, to the number floated by the City Corporation.

There will be a designated call centre and a control room to address the queries. "It is a paid service and instead of a monthly charge, the payment will have to be done during each collection. This is not a waste generated on a daily basis. The service needs to be provided on a demand basis," said a Corporation official. These community napkin destroyers will either be attached to the existing public toilets that are run by the Corporation or at other waste management units such as the aerobic bins.

The DPR (Detailed Project Planning) has been approved and the on-call service will have no restrictions to the number of times one can use the facility along with daily service. Collection bags will be provided to the residents. According to the Corporation, the focus is on reducing sanitary waste and hence incentives in the form of cloth pads and such will be given to customers. The waste management committee in the Corporation will oversee the conduct of the programme and nodal a g e n c i e s might be empowered to collect the waste from registered residents. "This is the only waste which could not be addressed until now. Since it involves human serum, it is categorised as biomedical waste and will be treated accordingly," said a Corporation official. A team has been designated to identify the first five locations where these waste management units will be set up. The service will be provided to the people residing within the perimeter of these units in the first phase. Later, it will be extended across the city.

Current status

The DPR (Detailed Project Planning) has been approved and the on-call service will have no restrictions to the number of times one can use the facility along with daily service. Collection bags will be provided to the residents. According to the Corporation, the focus is on reducing sanitary waste and hence incentives in the form of cloth pads and such will be given to customers.

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