Thiruvananthapuram: Mayor V.K. Prasanth has justified the hike in the waste collection fee to Rs 800 saying that it was to discourage methods which don’t deal with organic waste at the source. “Moreover, many of those agencies take waste to Tamil Nadu to process. But sending waste to another state is becoming difficult,” he told reporters. As for the increase in kitchen bin fee, he said that the cost of innoculum had increased. The state government had issued an order as per the guidelines of Haritha Keralam Mission, in which anyone who wishes not to rely on a source-level waste management system for organic waste, and would rather take out waste need to pay Rs 800.
Moreover, the monthly user fee for those relying on kitchen bins was hiked to Rs 250 from Rs 200. Those who don’t need any support for managing organic waste can pay Rs 60 every month so that an agency registered with the corporation can collect dry waste like plastic or glass. If someone wants to use aerobic units to process organic waste, they will have to pay Rs 400 a month. “If some claim that they can handle all waste on their own, they need not pay any amount. However, they will be under surveillance so that there are no violations,” Mr Prasanth said.
The waste management services will be free in settlements of urban poor and coastal areas. He said that 15,000 kitchen bins will be set up in 38 wards. “In the next phase, 15,000 additional bins will be set up in more wards. There is no need for bins to be installed in all 100 wards as many of the wards sharing borders with panchayaths do not have space constraints,” he said.
