Govt failure leads to proliferation of waste dumping in public places

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Authorities are cracking down on individuals dumping waste in public spaces while the government's organic waste disposal policies remain largely ineffective. There are accusations of exploitation of the general public due to this negligence.

The mismanagement of waste disposal systems results in people resorting to dumping waste on roads and in ponds. Although initiatives such as installing kitchen bins in households and aerobic bins in public areas were implemented for source waste management, their maintenance has been grossly inadequate.

Household kitchen bins and public aerobic bins were set up for waste management but the lack of proper maintenance causes issues. Garbage accumulates in these bins leading to inconvenience for residents.

Additionally, the unavailability of necessary materials like inoculum for composting in various local institutions further exacerbates the problem. This leads to households distressingly resorting to discarding their garbage conventionally rather than composting. The announced assistance by sanitation workers for bin maintenance remains unimplemented, adding to the problem.

Public aerobic bins suffer a worse fate as there is no dedicated staff to manage them. Consequently, the bins overflow with rotting garbage, emitting foul odours. The runoff from these bins contaminates the surrounding soil and water bodies.

The discontinuation of waste treatment plants like Valapillashala in 2012 has compounded the challenges of waste management. Similar issues plagued locations such as Kozhikode Njeliyambarabu and Thrissur Lalur. Initiatives like piped compost in the capital in 2015 faced setbacks due to the lack of support from local institutions. The introduction of kitchen bins in 2016 did not mitigate the crisis given the shortage of inoculum and inadequate uptake by local bodies.

Private entities seized the opportunity presented by the scarcity of kitchen bins, collecting waste from households and even pig farms for a monthly fee. Unfortunately, these agencies often resort to dumping this waste in public areas and water bodies exacerbating the environmental impact.

Despite the government's progress in managing inorganic waste through initiatives like Harithakarma Sena which efficiently handles non-organic waste collection, the mishandling of organic waste remains a significant concern.