The biggest problem and crisis of modern Kerala is waste disposal. The problem is compounded by the fact that with each passing year, the amount of waste is increasing exponentially and the means of disposal are decreasing. Growing population and urbanization are increasing the amount of waste. Moreover, the use of plastic bags has increased manifold in the last twenty years. This is creating a toxic crisis for human life. In this situation, modern Kerala needs to give importance to waste disposal along with development.

The Brahmapuram fire and the smoke that lingered for weeks drew national attention towards Kerala's garbage problem. Following this, the government launched a campaign called 'Malinyamuktam Navakeralam' as part of the effort to solve the garbage problem. It is estimated that Kerala will be waste-free within a year. The Chief Minister also stated that all the local self-government bodies in the state will be free from dumping waste on June 5. The Chief Minister made this clear in a meeting of the representatives and officials of the local self-government bodies as part of the 'Malinyamuktam Navakeralam' campaign. The Chief Minister pointed out that the Brahmapuram incident shows the importance and care that should be taken in waste management and that it should not be repeated. Organic and inorganic waste should be segregated at the source itself. A public system should be prepared for those who do not have this facility. The Chief Minister also instructed that inorganic waste should be handed over to Haritha Karma Sena on payment of a user fee.

Experiences at Brahmapuram and Vilappilsala teach that centralized waste disposal will fail in Kerala due to limited land area and large population. Therefore, relatively small public waste disposal systems are desirable for Kerala. There are many panchayats in Kerala that are already successfully managing waste. After conducting a detailed study of these models, we need to develop a Kerala model for waste disposal.