Keralam to launch ‘Nirmala Puthuyuga Suchitwa Keralam’ to address waste management issues

The Keralam government will on Friday (October 2, 2026) launch a major waste management campaign which aims at addressing all waste-related issues in the State over the next five years.

Announcing the launch of the ‘Nirmala Puthuyuga Suchitwa Keralam’ campaign at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday (October 1, 2026), Minister for Local Self-Governments K.M. Shaji said the Suchitwa Mission would coordinate the activities under the programme which would involve the participation of various agencies dealing with waste management.

“By the time the campaign ends in 2031, we aim at having treatment facilities for various kinds of waste generated in the State. For the campaign to be a success, we will need the cooperation of everyone so that all our houses, offices, campuses and institutions will be free of waste in the next five years,” said Mr. Shaji.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan will formally launch the campaign at Paravur on Friday, Gandhi Jayanti Day.

The campaign is divided into short-, medium- and long-term measures. In the first year, the campaign aims at achieving facilities to treat waste generated from at least 30% of the households in the State, to process at least 40% of the sanitary waste generated as well as to ensure 100% doorstep collection of non-biodegradable waste. The government will also prepare separate policies for solid waste management, plastic recycling, and scrap management. A centralised waste management authority bringing together all the different agencies dealing with waste will also be formed next year.

By June 5, 2030, the campaign aims at making at least 500 local bodies in the State self-sufficient in waste management. An e-waste treatment plant will also be set up and 100% e-waste collection will be ensured.

Mr. Shaji said that some people were reluctant to hand over old laptops for recycling due to privacy concerns. The police and students would be involved to address these concerns and ensure 100% e-waste collection.

When the campaign ends in 2031, the government aims at having waste treatment facilities for 100% households in the State. Modern public toilets will be constructed in major places. The proposed waste-to-energy plant will also be made functional.

Mr. Shaji said that one district would be made a model in waste management. One location would be identified in each ward across the State to be cleaned up and maintained as a model space.