The government has proposed a construction and demolition waste processing plant with a capacity to process 100 tonnes to 150 tonnes per day on nearly two acres in the Edayar industrial area in Ernakulam.

The project has been mooted under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode as part of efforts to address gaps in the management of construction and demolition waste. The plant is part of the regional facilities proposed under the Kerala Solid Waste Management Project supported by the World Bank.

The proposal to set up the plant at Edayar has been included in the State Action Plan of Kerala on Air Quality. The plant is expected to be completed by 2028. The government has earmarked ₹7.9 crore for setting up the plant. The project will be jointly implemented by the Local Self-Government department (LSGD) and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board.

According to the LSGD, the government will issue guidelines for the usage of construction and demolition waste in public works after setting up the regional facilities. Around 5% of the area in the industrial parks will be used to implement recycling and recovery facilities.

A circular issued by the Director of Panchayat earlier had pointed out that grama panchayats should ensure a detailed plan and undertaking of disposal from the producers of construction and demolition waste. The local bodies need to ensure the final clean-up of construction and demolition sites.

Containers should be installed at construction and demolition sites to collect waste. The practice of disposal of waste at the source level should be encouraged. Entrepreneurs who intend to produce 20 tonnes of waste daily/300 tonnes of waste monthly should secure prior permission from the gram panchayats.

Grama panchayats in collaboration with experts in this field may prepare novel plans related to the disposal of construction and demolition waste and such information may be published on the websites of the grama panchayats, it said.