Thiruvananthapuram: Now on hundreds of visitors, bystanders and others arriving at the Thycaud Women and Child Hospital in the state capital will not be able to bring food packets and plastic carrying bags with the authorities deciding to make it a disposables-free campus.
As part of the Green Protocol initiative, the authorities have decided to prohibit food packets on the premises of the 373-bed hospital where on an average around 500 deliveries happen every month.
An official said they make announcements four times a day to bring awareness among patients and bystanders on the importance of waste segregation.
The hospital has introduced three bucket system for effective segregation. “We have found that the eateries around the hospitals are using banned plastic and other products for packing foods. We have given a letter to the food safety authorities seeking intervention. We cannot make our campus green without public participation,” said the official.
The hospital authorities are planning to put up message boards banning packet foods in front of the mess hall.
“Bringing food packets is more convenient for everyone. We cannot impose prohibition overnight. We have directed the hotel owners to deliver the food on plates and other utensils instead of wrapping in plastic and papers. We have given strict direction to the Indian Coffee House inside the campus not to use disposable materials for packing foods,” said the official.
The plan is to make the campus plastic-free, disposables-free, dust-free and take steps to conserve water and power.
“Soon we will assign security guards at the entry points to ensure that disposable things are not brought inside the campus. It will not be an easy task for us. We will continue announcing messages. This is going to be a gradual process,” said the official.
