The plastic collection exercise, carried out by Tirunelveli Corporation on Wednesdays, which attracted Union Ministry of Urban Development’s attention, has ensured collection of over 89.50 tonnes of non-degradable waste from the residents so far.

According to Commissioner S. Sivasubramanian, who conceived the idea of collecting plastic waste from the public on Wednesdays while ensuring removal of other waste every day, said collection of plastic waste by conservancy workers from the residents on a dedicated day (Wednesday) started on December 21, 2017 under ‘Litter-Free Tirunelveli’ programme, and it evoked a very good response from the public. Besides appealing to traders not to stock, sell and distribute ‘use-and-throw’ plastic carry bags and cups that clogged drainage channels repeatedly to cause untold hardship to the urban civic body, the Corporation started exerting pressure on business establishments through repeated surprise checks that led to the seizure of a few tonnes of the banned products.

Moreover, the traders were encouraged to use degradable cloth and paper bags for packing their products.

When the system of plastic waste collection on Wednesdays was introduced towards the end of last year, the sanitary workers collected over nine tonnes of hazardous waste and it increased sharply in the next couple of Wednesdays with the quantum of collection crossing even 13 tonnes.

However, this graph showed downward trend from mid-January, thanks to the awareness campaigns organised by the Corporation against using plastic bags and cups.

As part of the Coimbatore Vizha events, nature enthusiasts and concerned citizens cleaned the Thadagam Road on Sunday. According to Manoj Krishnakumar, one of the organisers, more than 1,000 people participated in the cleanliness drive that started at Gandhi Park and ended at Anaikatti.

The volunteers picked up plastic and other waste between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. and the total waste collected was over 30 tonnes.

The organisers had divided the 30-km stretch of the road into 50 segments for volunteers to work. The volunteers assembled at the Government College of Technology on Thadagam Road and from there the organisers took them to the segments concerned.

A few education institutions had lent their buses to support the cause. A few volunteers reached the segments assigned to them in their vehicles.

They then went about collecting the waste. Coimbatore Corporation had also supported the cause by sending its conservancy workers and deploying vehicles to transport the waste.

The organisers had also engaged an earth mover to clear waste in those pockets that was difficult for people to work.

Mr. Krishnakumar said that the volunteers worked hard in the five hours to collect over 30 tonnes waste under the programme called Tsuname Sweep. The Coimbatore Chapter of Young Indians, Builders Association of India, CREDAI and a few Round Table organisations and others had supported the cause.