Allianz SE, a financial services company operating from the Technopark campus here, has joined hands with Plastic Fischer to clear plastic waste from the canals, rivers and tributaries in the city.
About 16 tonnes of plastic have so far been collected from the water bodies under a pilot project launched at four sites. Three systems have been installed, two in Thampanoor Thodu and one in Ulloor Thodu and pre-installation work for the fourth site is currently under way at Pattom Thodu.
The initiative has already created permanent employment for seven locals and aims to provide steady income for more than 25 people in the next three years.
Barbara Karuth-Zelle, member, Board of Management and Chief Operating Officer, Allianz SE, said the project was aimed at flood control and preventing plastic waste from reaching the ocean where it could pose a threat to marine life.
Recyclable waste is separated from non-recyclable waste, which includes plastic bags and sachets with multiple plastic layers. It is processed and transported to recycling plants and the non-recyclables go to cement manufacturing plants.
“The pilot project for collecting non-biodegradable waste from waterbodies in Thiruvananthapuram is an effective system and a considerable quantity of waste materials has already been collected from the installations that they have set up. We are looking forward to replicating the system in other areas in the State,” K.T. Balabhaskaran, executive director of Suchitwa Mission, said.
