Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s new government appears set to revisit centralised waste processing in the state capital, with Health Minister K. Muraleedharan announcing plans to establish a waste treatment facility in Thiruvananthapuram, potentially marking a shift from the decentralised waste management model followed for more than a decade.
Speaking at an event in the city, Muraleedharan said a waste treatment plant would be developed through the joint efforts of the Union government, the Kerala government and the city corporation. Although he did not provide detailed information about the proposed facility, the announcement signals a possible change in the state’s approach to waste management and bioenergy generation, The Hindu reported.
The minister also acknowledged that waste management remained an unfinished area during his earlier tenure as MLA from Vattiyurkavu and said he intends to address the issue during the current term.
Thiruvananthapuram moved towards decentralised waste management after the closure of the centralised waste treatment facility at Vilappilsala in 2011. The plant was shut down following prolonged protests by local residents, prompting the city corporation to redesign its waste management strategy.
In the years that followed, the corporation promoted household-level waste processing initiatives. While earlier efforts such as pipe composting achieved limited success, the use of kitchen waste bins gained wider acceptance. Waste collection also improved significantly with the expansion of activities by the Haritha Karma Sena, which provides doorstep collection of non-biodegradable waste.
The corporation has also undertaken biomining projects at legacy dumping sites, recovering usable land in several parts of the city. Meanwhile, food waste from restaurants is being collected and transported to pig farms in neighbouring panchayats for reuse.
Towards the end of its tenure, the previous Left Democratic Front government initiated the development of several compressed biogas (CBG) plants across the state to process biodegradable waste and generate renewable energy. One such CBG project is already planned for Thiruvananthapuram.
The proposed waste treatment facility has raised questions about whether the new government intends to replace the existing decentralised model or integrate a centralised waste-to-bioenergy system with the progress made in recent years. The final structure of the project and its role in Kerala’s future waste management strategy are expected to become clearer once detailed plans are released.
