Aluva municipality’s new waste management system gains traction

Nearly three months after the Aluva municipality launched a new waste management system to address gaps in the existing method, the public-private partnership model appears to be gaining momentum, prompting the local body to promote it further. The municipality is planning to expand the Robobin facility, which caters to households unable to treat waste on their own. The system has also opened up an additional revenue stream for the local body.

The initiative encourages residents to use the biodegradable waste management booth set up in the town at a cost of ₹7 per kg. Waste stored in bins provided to subscribers is collected by the project’s private partner and transported to the processing booth. Residents also have the option of directly depositing household waste at the booth located on the premises of the Mahatma Gandhi Town Hall in Aluva. The waste is converted into compost through an automated process at the facility.

The municipality has earned ₹39,000 from the Robobin facility since it was opened to the public on October 16, 2025, and is targeting revenues of around ₹4 lakh over the next three months, according to stakeholders.

Of the ₹7 charged per kg, the local body receives ₹2, while the remaining ₹5 goes to the private operator. The public booth, which can process up to one tonne of waste a day, was set up after the facility was run on a pilot basis at the municipal office premises for a year. As many as 1,050 households have already subscribed to the facility, municipal officials said.

“Though biobins have been provided to almost all households to enable them to treat organic waste on their own, not everyone is able to use them properly for various reasons. The Robobin facility was introduced to address this gap and has been gaining traction among the public. Non-biodegradable waste, including plastic, is meanwhile collected by the Haritha Karma Sena,” Municipal Chairperson Saiji Jolly said.

The municipality is also set to install a similar booth at the mini market in the town. However, the two-tonne facility set up at the temporary market is yet to attract users, officials said.

Shibu Vijayavedam, founder of the startup that developed the system and manages the facility, said the Robobin waste management system aims to address the stigma associated with the sector. “The system challenges the notion that waste treatment must be carried out in remote areas, out of public view. Our booth is designed in a sophisticated manner, and the trays used for waste disposal clean themselves after every use. We also aim to inculcate the habit of handling waste in a dignified manner,” he said.