Following the Kerala High Court’s recent observations on waste management, Kochi has decided to clear waste from public spaces and install containers at all collection points to prevent exposure.
Last month, the Supreme Court expressed concern over the accumulation of waste in public spaces and ordered the company to take strict action against those responsible for dumping the waste. The movement of waste was reportedly affected as the corporation officials were busy with the Swachh Survekshan (cleanliness survey) of the cities scheduled for the coming months.
“Instructions have been issued to remove waste from roadsides and to install containers at all collection points. The two agencies involved in the weekly collection of plastic waste have been asked to take waste directly from households to trucks instead of depositing it at transit points before disposal. They have also been ordered to clean up the accumulated backlog,” Mayor VK Minimol said.
She said that nearly 75 to 80 tonnes of biodegradable waste is brought daily to the compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Brahmapuram, which was commissioned earlier this year. Together with the 100 tons of waste processed by the Black Soldier Fly units, this has largely solved the city’s waste processing needs for the time being, especially with the drop in hotel waste production due to the lack of cooking gas. The CBG plant has an installed capacity to process 150 tons of waste.
The company has also started targeted work on Swachh Survekshan, which ranks cities across the country based on cleanliness. In the 2024–25 rankings released in July 2025, Kochi emerged as the cleanest city in Kerala and was ranked 50th nationally.
“With the survey likely to start in April-May, we have launched a dedicated campaign called ‘Queen City, Clean City’ with actor Tini Tom as the brand ambassador. We have started cleaning public spaces and toilets, apart from setting up art installations using waste and graffiti carrying messages of cleanliness,” Ms Minimol said.
Published – 02 Apr 2026 19:37 IST
