During the Norwegian visit by Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, a second standard student named Sara raised a complaint to him. This complaint is very significant and must be an eye-opener for all of us in Kerala. Sara’s complaint was that when she visited Kerala, she could not find a waste bin to put her chocolate cover.

It is highly unlikely that any student in Kerala will raise such a complaint. The reason is that our students have learned the habit of throwing away the chocolate wrappers instead of putting them in the waste bin. This is not the children’s fault. They learn what they see from their elders. They watch their parents and other older people throw away waste and learn from that.

Let Sara’s complaints be a cause for change for every one of us. When the Chief Minister, in reply to Sara, said that the government is moving working hard towards a Kerala without waste, there was a big applause from the audience.

The Chief Minister was attending the function arranged by Norway Malayalee Association, ‘Nanma’, when Sara told her experience. The majority of us believe that open spaces and roads are places where we should throw away waste. Though the government speaks so much about waste disposal, those ideas do not reach the implementation stage.

There are many modern ways to dispose of waste, which are followed across the world. This must be adopted in our state too. The local governments must give primary importance to that. The waste disposal areas must become distribution areas of new products and energy. For this, we need a new ministry too. For that, a long-term plan must be made.

If the government cannot do it, then private players must be invited. In the first phase, the government must give them protection. The Covid epidemic has taught the whole world about the importance of cleanliness. Therefore, the public will be convinced about the importance of waste disposal. Currently, the collection of waste and disposal is carried out in outmoded methods. This must be revamped completely.

A project must be constituted to adopt new technology to revamp the waste disposal centers. For this, an efficient IAS officer can be appointed. The public must also be educated about this.

We must not be reluctant to use the waste management models used in foreign countries. The foreign trips of our ministers are not only for attracting industrialists. The authorities must also study how they are managing their waste.