Niravu Residents Association, known for its creative interventions in waste management in around 12 grama panchayats in the district, is in for a real challenge taking up the job in Kozhikode Corporation.
If everything falls into place as expected, the success story written by Niravu in Calicut International Airport, Government Mental Health Hospital, and many other institutions besides some panchayats could be repeated in the Corporation.
Project Coordinator of Niravu Babu Parambath is confident that all non-biodegradable waste in the Corporation could be removed in a month. Niravu has started collecting the solid waste that is already accumulated at different parts of the city.
Sacks of waste are being transported to Karnataka where it will be segregated and recycled. Meanwhile, the councillors as well as health officials of the Corporation will be trained to impart the procedure of segregation that could be implemented in every household with the help of residents’associations. The public can follow the procedure to categorise the waste in each household and hand it over to residents’ associations from where Niravu will collect it.
“By the end of August, Kozhikode city will be rid of not just plastic waste, but also old tubelights, CFL lamps, discarded footwear, rexin bags, broken glasses and bottles, battery, and even electronic waste. After that we need to do the collection only once in six months,” he said.
‘‘It is high time we put an end to our yearly ‘cleanliness drives.’ We don’t throw away used newspapers and old clothes. Then why do we throw away foot wear and plastics? Waste management should be a culture,” Mr. Babu said.
With the system thoroughly ingrained in the minds of each and every person in the city, the Kozhikode Corporation can save a huge sum now used for waste management. With plastic and other non-degradable waste out of the picture, the remaining bio-degradable waste could be composted at every household through simple methods.
While Niravu takes care of the education part, the Corporation will ensure that the rules are implemented properly to ensure that every one takes care of their bio-degradable waste and that nothing is dumped on road sides or in water bodies.
Article source:http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kozhikode/niravu-to-take-lead-in-waste-management/article7501679.ece
