THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city is beginning to chant the ‘Go Green’ mantra in earnest with the people of Vilappil saying a big no to their backyards continuing as a trash dump. Residents’ associations in the city are advocating the installation of biowaste plants at the local level and establishment of vegetable farms and gardens in homes so that waste can be disposed of as manure. ‘’We are requesting all member associations to install biowaste plants in their areas so that there is no need for carting the waste to places like Vilappilsala,’’ said N Babu, general secretary of Federation of Residents Associations Thiruvananthapuram (FRAT), which boasts approximately 800 member residents associations in the district. According to Babu, the city region accounts for nearly 75 per cent of the membership. ‘’Rooftop gardening is another way. We have listed 9,000 households for a project of the State Horticulture Mission in the city.’’ Perhaps, the most important suggestion FRAT has come up with is that people who have the land should dispose of waste there itself and not depend on Kudumbashree to take it off their hands. Burn it, bury it or convert it to manure is the idea. Unlike congested Kochi, a large number of households in Thiruvananthapuram can do this effectively. ‘’We are also trying to discourage the use of plastic. With these measures alone, we can considerably reduce the volume of waste shipped off outside the city for disposal,’’ he said. Official figures peg the volume of waste carted off to Vilappilsala at a stupefying 250 tonnes a day. Another section of the city population is a worried lot these days with rumours spreading that garbage collection would be hit owing to the crisis at Vilappilsala. Apartments in the city cite lack of space as a reason for not setting up biowaste plants. The Apartment Owners Association, though not a big organisation as FRAT, is planning to organise a meeting this month to discuss the garbage issue, association secretary Baiju said.
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