Keralam to build model plants for plastic waste, waste-to-energy

Keralam will set up model plants for plastic waste management and waste-to-energy conversion within the next two years, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said. The Chief Minister has launched a five-year campaign to make Keralam waste-free by 2031.

Inaugurating the Local Self-Government Department’s ‘Nirmalam – A New Era of Clean Keralam’ campaign, Satheesan said the state should develop waste-management systems that could be adopted by other states rather than relying on models elsewhere.

Satheesan said that two or three model plants should be established for plastic waste disposal, along with four or five facilities to convert municipal waste into power. The objective, he said, was to develop systems that would attract officials from other states to Keralam for study.

The Nirmalam campaign aims to make Keralam completely waste-free by March 30, 2031. Satheesan said the programme would be implemented as a time-bound action plan in three phases, with specific targets.

Satheesan stressed on the need to make scientific waste management part of everyday civic culture. Local bodies should educate residents on segregation, storage, collection, transportation and processing of biodegradable, non-biodegradable and emerging waste streams such as e-waste.

The Chief Minister said waste should be treated as a resource rather than rubbish, with greater focus on converting it into energy and other useful products. He outlined a three-stage approach involving processing and minimising waste at source, collecting the remaining waste and transporting it to designated facilities.

Satheesan also called for fully covered waste-collection vehicles to prevent spillage, odour and public exposure during transportation.

Several large waste-management projects are being developed across the state, including projects in Kozhikode and Kochi with support from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and other agencies. Kochi Corporation has also allocated 12 acres for a new waste-management project.

He urged local bodies to avoid unproven technologies and companies making exaggerated claims about foreign waste-management solutions, and instead select experienced agencies and proven models.

The government, he said, would provide funding and support through central and state schemes. The campaign also proposes identifying waste-dumping sites within 100 days and undertaking community-led clean-up drives to prevent their recurrence.

Satheesan further called for cleaning canals and streams and maintaining them in a way that could eventually support boating activities.