T’puram: For the past four years, more than 1,000 tonnes of plastic waste have been intercepted and prevented from entering the Arabian Sea through an ambitious river-cleaning initiative in Thiruvananthapuram, making it one of Kerala’s largest plastic recovery programmes.The plastic waste-free rivers project currently recovers around 25 tonnes of plastic waste every month from the city’s rivers, canals, and coastal ecosystems before it reaches the sea.The project has established an extensive waste interception network across the city, deploying 15 TrashBoom systems at major waterways to trap floating plastic before it flows downstream. It has also installed 20 specially designed TrashBins along Veli Beach and set up three material recovery facilities at Enchakkal, Venpalavattom and Vallakadavu, where the recovered plastic is sorted and processed.In addition to tackling plastic pollution, the initiative has strengthened flood mitigation efforts by installing two additional TrashBoom systems in Amayizhanjan canal to prevent drains from getting clogged during heavy rains and improve maintenance of critical waterways. Project officials said the programme complements the govt’s waste management efforts while offering a scalable model for long-term public participation in protecting rivers and coastal ecosystems.The initiative is implemented as part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes of Allianz Technology India and Allianz Services India in partnership with city corporation and state govt’s local self-govt and water resources departments.Corporation health standing committee chairperson M R Gopan said the civic body had supported the initiative from the outset and described it as an example of successful collaboration between the govt, local bodies and the private sector.“The results demonstrate what can be achieved through strong partnerships. We welcome more responsible private organizations to join the corporation in removing plastic waste from rivers, canals and other water bodies. Such collaborations are essential for strengthening waste management, protecting marine ecosystems and building a cleaner, more sustainable city,” he said.The project has also expanded beyond waste collection into community-based interventions in Puthenthope, Kadinamkulam and Veli in association with NGOs Thanal Trust and Sustera Foundation. These include beach clean-up drives, awareness campaigns, behavioural change initiatives, reuse campaigns, swap shops and volunteer-led programmes encouraging responsible waste disposal among residents and tourists.The recovered plastic has also been converted into public infrastructure.
