Clean Kerala push for plastic recycling units in 800 LSGs

Once implemented, there will be a huge difference in waste management in each districts, The whole concept is to reuse, recycle and reduce plastic waste.
Clean Kerala push for plastic recycling units in 800 LSGs

KOCHI: The Clean Kerala Company Limited, formed under the local self-government department, has initiated the process to reach agreements with nearly 800 local bodies across the state to set up recycling and integrated plastic waste management facilities. According to a top official with Clean Kerala, the company has established a monopoly in dealing with non-biodegradable waste with the concept ‘waste is wealth’.

In Pathanamthitta, the tendering process has begun for the company’s first waste treatment plant.“The construction of the plant is expected to begin by July first week,” Clean Kerala Company managing director G K Suresh Kumar told TNIE.“Land identification is in progress in various parts of the state for similar projects. The company received Rs 53.5 crore under the Rebuild Kerala initiative. These funds will be used to procure machinery and to create infrastructure for the projects.”

Once the project is implemented, there will be a huge difference in waste management in each district, Suresh said.“People too should take the responsibility to segregate bio-degradable and non-biodegradable waste collected from doorsteps. The whole concept is to reuse, recycle and reduce plastic waste,” he pointed out. From January 2021 to May 2022, the company has earned about Rs 5 crore from selling recycled plastic waste, the managing director said.

Clean Kerala collected 5,751.83 tonnes of plastic waste through the Haritha Karma Sena, the green volunteers hired to collect non-biodegradable waste from households. They were paid Rs 2.84 crore last year, the official said. Between 2016 and May 2022, the company produced over 3,138 tonnes of shredded plastic. Of that, 2,841 tonnes were used to construct 5,097km of roads by the public works department, LSGDs and other agencies. In total, the plastic waste collected by the company was used in the construction of 10,372 roads across the state. Clean Kerala runs on the profit it makes from waste recycling, with a majority of the projects implemented with the help of local bodies.

Suresh said the 10,000 square feet plant at Pathanamthitta will be set up on one acre identified at the Kinfra Industrial Park.The land has been taken on lease for 30 years, he said.“The plastic waste collected will be converted to granules and would be handed over to empanelled agencies. A similar plant will soon be set up at Kuttipuram in Malapuram district,” he said.

The project is estimated to cost around Rs 4.5 crore. The company is also keen on e-waste management.
“Currently, we collect e-waste from government and public sector units and tender them to various agencies. Now, we have proposed an e-waste recycling project. Once the government gives approval, we hope to begin work on it at the earliest,” the Clean Kerala managing director said.

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