Credai-Kochi has expressed willingness to support the Clean Kerala Company Ltd, a State government initiative for an integrated waste management system.

John Thomas, president, and Paul Raj, secretary, said Kerala imperatively requires a sustainable, decentralised and cost-effective waste management system. The waste needs to be processed and disposed of at the point of origin.

The government initiative was aimed at establishing small processing units rather than centralised plants which is highly capital intensive and expensive to operate.

Credai is willing to support the government in this initiative both financially and technically after a detailed study on the viability of the model proposed, they added.

They pointed out that the Kochi chapter had started experimenting with such a decentralised model in 2007 by establishing an NGO called Credai Clean City Movement (CCCM). Today this has become a larger organisation providing employment to almost 600 women and 40 tonnes of solid waste daily.

Based on an independent study report, the annual savings for the Kochi Corporation on account of this initiative was approximately Rs 5 crore, they added.

Today CCCM operates in cities such as Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kannur etc covering 701 apartment complexes with bio-bin installations. Plastic waste is collected separately, shredded and recycled or used for road tarring.

Credai is now planning to extend its area of service to horticulture and floriculture using the manure from waste.

sajeevkumar.v@thehindu.co.in

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