THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major international recognition for Kerala’s decentralised waste management model, Varkala municipality has been selected as the sole representative from India for the United Nations Zero Waste Forum 2026 to be held in Istanbul, Türkiye, on June 7.
The opportunity has come on the heels of Varkala being chosen for the prestigious ‘20 Cities Towards Zero Waste’ initiative, a joint programme of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste, UN-Habitat and the United Nations Environment Programme.
The summit, organised as part of Istanbul Zero Waste Week, will bring together policymakers, urban planners and environmental experts from across the world to discuss sustainable solutions to the mounting waste crisis.
“This is a proud moment not just for Varkala, but for Kerala and the entire country. Only 20 cities from across the world have been invited, and Varkala is the sole representative from India,” said Mithran G, secretary of Varkala municipality who will be attending the global summit.
Spread over 15.42 sqkm, the civic body has 34 wards and a population of 40,048. Being one of the most visited tourist and pilgrimage centres, Varkala municipality hosts thousands of visitors to destinations such as Papanasam Beach, Varkala Cliff and Sivagiri Mutt, creating substantial waste management challenges.
“Varkala was known globally for tourism and spirituality. In March, we gained a new identity when the UN recognised us as a zero waste city,” said Mithran. He said the municipality was able to bring down waste generation at Sivagiri Mutt and Papanasam Beach during the pilgrim season from 12 tonnes a year to just 1 tonne following extensive green protocol interventions.
Unlike many cities that focus on household waste, Varkala developed systems to manage every category of waste: wet, dry, liquid, sanitary and hazardous. The systems were implemented under both phases of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
“We will be making an online presentation on Tuesday before the MoHUA on the zero-waste activities being implemented in Varkala. The Centre has asked us to explain in detail how the municipality manages various waste streams, including dry waste, wet waste, liquid waste and sanitary waste. It is because of our systematic efforts in addressing all these categories of waste that Varkala was selected for the United Nations Zero Waste Forum,” said Mithran. He said that the Centre will review the presentation ahead of the Istanbul forum.
He added that the future course of action and possible collaborations would become clear after the municipality presents its model on the global platform.
Making an impact
Measures adopted by Varkala municipality as part of its green-protocol interventions:
As many as 262 Haritha Karma Sena members are deployed for scientific handling of waste
Door-to-door collection covers around 12,695 households and 2,601 institutions
To curb littering, twin bins were installed along major tourist and pilgrim corridors, including Varkala railway station, bus stands, Papanasam Beach, and Varkala Cliff
Youth organisations, colleges such as NSS College and SN College, and the tourism department regularly support maintenance and awareness drives
The municipality operates one of the most advanced sanitary waste management plants that has a capacity of 5 tonnes
