Thiruvananthapuram: The plastic collection drive organised by the city corporation on Saturday faced some issues as the amount of plastic which people brought exceeded the capacity of the vehicles. Though the drive was supposed to go on till 12 noon, the corporation staff stopped the collection at 10 a.m. on the premises of Journalists’ Colony, near NCC Nagar. Those who had come with their loads of plastic waste were asked to go to Pipinmood junction, where the collection was still in progress.
A dejected old couple were seen returning home in an autorickshaw packed to the brim with waste. Some people dumped the waste in front of Poomalliyoorkonam temple. The collection resumed later. A senior corporation official said that the colony was a new collection point and that the staff were not familiar with the process. “Normally, when vehicles become full, they are unloaded at the resource recovery centre. The staff at the colony did not know this. Later, the Mayor intervened and they have been briefed about it,” the official said.
Health standing committee chairperson K. Sreekumar said the colony was the only point where there were issues. But, there were problems at Jagathy grounds too. Though the civic body had said that rubber and e-waste would not be collected, people brought it hidden under a pile of plastic. The staff checked the sacks as some recycling agencies had earlier rejected the waste from the corporation because of the organic residue on it. This time, the corporation had specified that all the plastic waste brought should be clean.
