Corp to rope in firms to buy plastic waste

Kochi: City corporation is planning to rope in more private firms to purchase reusable plastic waste dumped at Brahmapuram waste treatment yard. The civic body intends to sell 10 to 20 tonnes of plastic everyday to private parties, said V K Minimol, chairperson of the health standing committee."A few companies have come forward to purchase clean and reusable plastic waste at a reasonable rate. The steering committee that will be convened on Tuesday will decide on the matter," she said.A firm is purchasing plastic waste from the corporation since 2011 at a price of Rs 1.5/kg. This time, firms have offered a rate of minimum Rs 4/kg. The firm that purchases plastic waste currently takes away not even a tonne of waste a day as their requirement is less."Those firms that have approached us are ready to take away more quantity of waste and if there are more players, the situation will change. We hope to dispose at least 10 tonnes of plastic waste in the initial stage and up to 20 tonnes in a month's time," said Minimol.The firms will be asked to segregate clean and reusable plastic at their own expense at the Brahmapuram plant. The waste will be weighed on the spot and the firms would transport waste to their locality at their own expense. Around 70 to 90 tonnes of plastic waste is generated a day in the limits of the corporation and it is assumed that nearly 30 tonnes of the waste is reusable or clean.The civic body has not established any any scientific system for the purpose of segregating and treating plastic waste. At present, the entire plastic waste is dumped in a plot earmarked at the Brahmapuram waste treatment yard. Since there was no space to dump waste, the civic body had stopped collection of plastic waste for three days earlier this week, which created hue in the city. Following public outcry, the authorities set aside a new plot for dumping plastic waste.