Mangaluru City Corporation Launches Intensive Waste Management Campaign
In a significant move to enhance urban cleanliness, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), in collaboration with Sri Ambamaheswari Seva Trust and Hasiru Dala, initiated a comprehensive campaign on Friday. This initiative is focused on promoting waste segregation at the source and raising awareness against the use of single-use plastic within the city.
Campaign Objectives and Scope
The campaign aims to educate residents about the ban on single-use plastic carry bags and emphasize the responsibility of households in handing over properly segregated waste to the city's swachhata workers. Over the next month, the drive will target 36,650 houses located in the Kadri Zone-3 area under the MCC's jurisdiction.
Rekha Shetty, the MCC zonal commissioner for Zone-3, outlined the plan: "Members from Sri Ambamaheswari Seva Trust and Hasiru Dala, alongside multipurpose workers of the city corporation, will visit every household in the zone. After conducting awareness sessions on waste segregation, volunteers will distribute stickers to each home, symbolizing their commitment to providing segregated waste to MCC staff."
Strict Measures Against Single-Use Plastic
Shetty issued a stern warning regarding the use of single-use plastic bags: "The MCC is taking this issue very seriously, especially concerning shops, business establishments, and eateries. These entities must not encourage the use of such bags on their premises. Non-compliance will result in fines of up to Rs 10,000."
She also commended residents who are already practicing waste segregation: "A majority of households in the zone are segregating dry and wet waste when handing it over to MCC staff. We will encourage them to continue while motivating others to adopt this practice."
Leadership and Community Engagement
MCC commissioner Ravichandra Naik urged citizens to embrace best practices for maintaining city cleanliness. He clarified that the imposition of fines is not intended as a revenue-generating measure but rather as a strategy to foster habits of using cloth or other eco-friendly materials.
On the first day of the campaign, volunteers successfully visited 1,000 houses in the Kadri area. Additionally, Hasiru Dala members enhanced the drive's impact by performing a street play in front of the MCC shopping complex in Kadri, led by Nagaraj Bajal, to educate the public on effective waste disposal methods.
This campaign represents a proactive step by the Mangaluru City Corporation towards sustainable urban management, combining regulatory enforcement with community-based awareness efforts to tackle environmental challenges.
