Project Green Grass to manage waste at 79 spots

Thiruvananthapuram: Tourism department will be spending Rs 4.79 crore for management of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste at 79 tourism destinations under ‘Project Green Grass’ this fiscal through Clean Kerala Company and agencies empanelled by Suchitwa Mission. The plan is to entrust select agencies to collect waste from these destinations at regular intervals and ensure proper treatment or disposal.

The project also has clauses mandating an audit by a third party, and from the second year onwards, the project cost will have to be borne by the respective district tourism promotion councils (DTPCs). “We will be selecting the agencies soon and try to complete the task by March 2020,” said tourism director P Bala Kiran.

Green Grass was originally initiated by the government to clear the heaps of waste on Ernakulam-Munnar stretch, especially forest fringe areas like Adimali. Later, it was expanded to cover all PWD roads, other forest areas and tourism destinations. “The department has spent nearly Rs 1.5 crore for waste management in Munnar-Idukki area and now we have a mandate to implement a waste management scheme at major tourism destinations in state, where tourists visit,” he said.

As per the estimate for waste management, each destination will get an amount of Rs 5,96,858, excluding the cost for documentation of the project at different stages. Among the destinations that will be covered by the project, 11 are in Thiruvananthapuram, nine in Kollam, eight in Ernakulam, seven each in Idukki and Thrissur, six in Wayanad, five each in Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kannur, four each in Pathanamthitta and Malappuram, three each in Kottayam and Kasargod and two in Alappuzha.

As per the approved detailed project report (DPR), collection bins (minimum capacity: 5L), will be placed inside chosen destinations for managing non-biodegradable waste, besides setting up two collection booths (minimum capacity: 25L). “Selected agencies will be allowed (under one-year contract) to transport non-biodegradable waste from destinations to material recovery facilities (MRFs) and resource recovery centres (RRCs) of Clean Kerala Company,” said the tourism director.

Training will be imparted twice a year to tourism department and DTPC personnel for effective implementation of the project, besides training workers in proper segregation of waste. Meanwhile, for managing biodegradable waste, aerobic composting plants will be set up at destinations.