Handling its plastic wastes
Haritha Karma Sena (HKS), foot soldiers of Kerala’s silent revolution against waste, is involved in door-to-door collection of non-biodegradable waste, which is segregated and handed over to different agencies for various types of recycling.
The 35,500 members of the Sena, comprising mainly women, have now become the foot soldiers of the State’s wide-ranging efforts to manage waste and to develop better civic sense among people.
Handling its plastic wastes
The HKS, each unit of which is registered as a micro enterprise with the support of the Kudumbashree Mission, is now carrying out door-to-door collection of non-biodegradable waste in over 70% houses Statewide.
The need for this force came to the fore after a massive fire at the 110-acre Brahmapuram dumping yard in Kochi in March 2023 that caused the State Pollution Control Board to impose a fine of ₹1.8 crore on the corporation.
As per the Kerala State Solid Waste Management Policy 2018, 3.7 million tonnes of waste is generated in the State annually, out of which 77% is biodegradable waste, 18% is non-biodegradable and 5% is mixed
The HKS has been in existence since 2018, but it was following the fire that the State government launched the ‘Malinya Muktha Navakeralam’ (Waste-free New Kerala) campaign with the Sena having a bigger role to play in it.
The Local Self-Government department also issued an order making user-fee payment mandatory for waste collection from shops and households, except for those belonging to the extremely poor categories.
Suddenly, the Haritha Karma Sena had an incentive to increase coverage of households and shops.
However, on the ground, pulling it off has not been an easy task, and there is still a long way to go.
Impact
Although public awareness has increased, a lot of plastic bags and bottles thrown out, especially in the open in smaller towns
The Sena’s coverage of households has increased, but many shopkeepers are yet to sign up.
Much of the waste that is seen in the public spaces come from shops
Future
As for the future of Haritha Karma Sena, that the government is looking at ways to improve their segregation mechanism with more training, which would reduce the number of rejects and increase revenue.
They will also be encouraged to diversify, by developing value-added products, from segregated waste materials.
The government has also initiated plans to increase the number of mini collection facilities for storage of the segregated waste.
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