Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has witnessed a significant rise in waste collection over the past five years, with the Clean Kerala Company reporting a sharp increase in both quantity and revenue.

The total waste collected by the company rose from 21,839 tonnes in 2021–22 to 73,403 tonnes, marking a 3.36-fold increase. Officials say this reflects a substantial rise in waste generation across the state.

Recyclable waste has grown from 5,587 tonnes five years ago to 37,853 tonnes at present, an increase of 577 per cent. At the same time, the proportion of segregated waste has improved significantly, from 25.6 per cent in 2021 to 51.6 per cent now.

The company’s revenue from waste processing has also seen a steep rise, increasing from ₹7.37 crore in 2021–22 to ₹66.39 crore currently, nearly a nine-fold jump. To support expanded operations, the area of waste collection sites has been increased from 87,300 square feet to 2,81,260 square feet.

During the same period, Haritha Karma Sena has been paid ₹38.88 crore as remuneration for its services.

Growth across waste categories

Other key increases have been recorded across waste streams (in tonnes):

E-waste: from 232.5 to 595.7

Glass: from 213 to 2,389

Cloth waste: from 327 to 886

Plastic used for roads: 3,625.159 tonnes

Officials noted that recycled waste exceeded processed waste by 8.97 per cent. Agreements have been signed with two RDF plants and three cement companies, along with nine cement plants, for the processing of non-recyclable waste.

A total of 5,926 kilometres of road have been constructed using 3,625.159 tonnes of shredded plastic.

Waste processing infrastructure

Four sanitary waste incineration plants are expected to become operational in August in Ernakulam (Brahmapuram), Palakkad (Kanjikode KINFRA Park), and Kannur. Work is also progressing on a similar facility under the Kollam cluster.

In addition, an agreement has been signed with a private agency to set up an electronic waste recycling plant with a capacity of 100 tonnes per day at the Malappuram Kuttippuram KINFRA Park, spread across 14.6 acres.