Thiruvananthapuram schools to get prizes for waste treatment

THIRUVANANANTHAPURAM: The city corporation is going to award schools which best support its source-level waste management initiative with Green Certificates and cash prizes. What’s more, the civic body will regularly collect plastic from every school that participates in the drive, starting this December 15. Mayor V. K. Prasanth announced the details of the campaign at an event in which finance minister T. M. Thomas Isaac addressed school authorities and student representatives from over 100 schools. The best school stands to win a cash prize of Rs 25,000, trophy and certificate.

Mr Isaac promised that the next budget would set aside a certain amount so that the corporation can build modern toilets and kitchen in every participant school. FM’s tips on garbage management: Mr Isaac  gave a few tips to students and school authorities on garbage management at an event organised in the city on Tuesday. At the Q&A session, D.S. Vignesh Nair  from Concordia Lutheran HSS, Kudappanakkunnu, asked if the government cannot put a stop to further production of plastic and ask the producers to recycle instead.

The minister said that it may not be practical to completely stop the use of plastic. “The corporation can go for measures like using plastic in tarring. This increases the longevity of roads,” he said. A girl student said:  “I study at the NSS school, which can be accessed only by a side road. The road is littered with garbage. One day the school’s NSS team cleaned it, but soon more waste was littered. What should we do in such cases?” she asked. “Install a camera without informing the residents about it. Find out who the offenders are. Then write a letter to them. Shaming will work, not force,” the minister said.