Aafrin Kidwai 
Picture credit: stux from Pixabay
In the second leg of its waste data collection exercise, the UN-HABITAT is mapping waste flows in Thiruvananthapuram. In August this year, a similar exercise had been carried out in Mangaluru.
The UN-Habitat is undertaking the study with the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation (TMC), and NGO Sahridhaya. The project ‘Waste Wise Cities: Tackling Plastic Waste in the Environment’ is funded by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) and has been launched in six cities across the world, including two cities each in Ethiopia, India, and Kenya.
The focus is on mapping the waste flows and assessing the potential plastic leakage. Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram were reportedly chosen in India as they are coastal cities. If plastic leakage is left unmanaged, it spills into the marine environment causing great damage.
The civic body hopes that once the new data is available, it will be able to structure its SWM strategies better.
