Health department to launch waste monetization drive

Coimbatore: The health department is planning to help residents make money from garbage accumulated at houses as part of its dengue control programme.

The department had found trash accumulated in backyards and on terraces, leading to stagnation of rainwater and turning them to breeding space for Aedes mosquitoes that carry dengue virus.

“To prevent such a possibility, health staff have been asked to identify trash vendors in their localities, who can visit houses to collect trash,” said Coimbatore district deputy director of health services P Aruna.

Waste including broken furniture, bottles, cartons and coconut shells were found in houses. “Health staff have been using panchayat vehicles to collect such trash from houses. But people are hesitant to give away trash to domestic breeding checkers (DBC) who visit houses as part of dengue control programme as they want to sell them to trash collectors. But many could not do so as they remain away from home for work or can’t find trash vendors. To ensure that unused items are removed from houses, health staff are identifying trash vendors to visit houses to collect waste,” the official said.

It will be a win-win situation for residents and vendors as residents can earn money from waste and vendors will get business, said S Mariappan, a resident of Mopperipalayam. A couple of dengue cases were reported from Mopperipalayam town panchayat five days ago.

The drive will be carried out as part of the massive dengue source reduction campaign that is under way across the district. The campaign, launched on Friday, will go on for a week.

The staff are collecting discarded tyres from households and public spaces. “We have instructed owners of automobile repair shops, who have displayed discarded tyres in front of their shops, to drill holes on them to drain water,” Aruna said.