Kerala Minister KM Shaji’s proposal for large landfills against the existing landfill disposal model
A new waste management model focusing on large landfills proposed by Local Government Minister KM Shaji appears to be at odds with Kerala’s existing decentralized models. In an interaction with the media on Thursday (July 2, 2026), he mooted the idea of setting up three large landfills of around 30 acres in North, Central and South Kerala to deal with the large amount of waste generated.
The current model is built on the eradication of large old landfills and land reclamation. By the end of 2025, the local government department has managed to clean up 59 old landfills across the state covering an area of 127 acres and holding 19.13 lakh tonnes of waste. Lalur, one of the old dumping grounds in Thrissur, has been converted into a site for the IM Vijayan Sports Complex, while the Brahmapuram dumping ground, which was the scene of a major fire in March 2023, has been converted into land and a garden after removing the waste.
The minister’s plan calls into question this ongoing scientific remediation project to reclaim land that has been turned into old landfills.
According to Mr. Shaji, the idea of recycling waste is ineffective. “Only about 30% of waste can be recycled, no matter how hard you try. Are there any countries that have successfully done this? We have to deal with the remaining 70%. Singapore, being a densely populated region like ours, has a successful model of landfills. All successful models of waste management around the world involve landfills in remote areas. If we can get 30 acres of waste in 2000 years of national territory, it appealed to us World Bank with the project,” Mr. Shaji said.
With Kerala witnessing local resistance even to the establishment of waste management facilities, as witnessed in Avikkal Thodu in Kozhikode against the establishment of a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), it will be difficult to find land for a landfill in the densely populated state.
Published – 03 Jul 2026 22:57 IST