Title - Platforms to be built using waste

Ernakulam Junction to have two platforms. Two platforms of Ernakulum Junction Railway Station will be soon built using non-biodegradable waste generated by the residents of Kochi.T.K. Ashraf, chairman of the Health Standing Committee of Kochi Corporation, said the railways sought the waste to fill the two platforms which are under construction.The Health Standing Committee and the Kochi Corporation council has cleared the proposal to supply non-biodegradable waste from the solid waste treatment plant site at Brahmapuram to the railways. Once an agreement is signed with the railways, the corporation will transport the waste free of cost to the construction site, which is located within the central city area, he said. Bricks and debris from construction sites would also be transported to the site. On an average, the corporation should be able to supply around 20 truck loads of waste, which would weigh up to 40 tonnes. The waste would be used in place of red earth.Mr. Ashraf said the proposal was mutually beneficial for the railways and the corporation. While the railways could save expenses on construction material, the corporation could save on fuel and other expenses required to transport waste to Brahmapuram. The move would also help in keeping the city clean, Mr. Ashraf said. The Suchithwa Mission, the agency which has been coordinating waste management in the State, had asked the civic administrators of Kochi to look into the railways request.

The request came at a time when the civic authorities were yet to implement a scientific management system for plastic wastes. The corporation had approached the mission for permission to scientifically cap plastic waste at Brahmapuram. The civic authorities had also been toying with the idea of generating fuel from the refuse.

Every day, the corporation dumps truck loads of non-biodegradable waste at Brahmapuram. A large area near the treatment plant is littered with plastic. Clean plastic is being sold for Rs. 1.40 a kilo at the plant site.