Keralam to become India’s first dumpsite-free State in two years, says Minister

Kerala aims to be India's first dumpsite-free State in two years, with significant waste management advancements underway.

Keralam will become the country’s first dumpsite-free State within two years, Minister for Local Self-Government M.B. Rajesh said here on Friday (February 27, 2026).

Delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of the Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant at Brahmapuram, Mr. Rajesh said waste heaps at 25 of the 59 dumpsites in the State had already been cleared, reclaiming 96 acres, while biomining is under way at the remaining 34 sites.

Keralam, he noted, will soon be self-sufficient in the treatment of sanitary waste, with four plants planned across Kannur, Brahmapuram, Palakkad, and Kollam. Construction of three plants is already in progress, while the foundation stone for the Brahmapuram facility was laid on Friday. Once completed, the plants will have a combined capacity to treat 120 tonnes of sanitary waste daily, against the current generation of 100 tonnes.

With the commissioning of eight plants capable of converting reject waste into refuse-derived fuel (RDF), Keralam has achieved the capacity to process 600 tonnes of reject waste generated each day. At present, this waste is being sent to cement factories in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

The Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) collected 1.52 lakh tonnes of waste last year. Had this not been collected and treated, it would have resulted in the emission of 430 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide. “That is why a renowned climate scientist has described the sena’s service as the largest ongoing climate action anywhere in the world,” Mr. Rajesh said.

Varkala municipality is the only city from India, and one of just two from Asia, to feature in the International Zero Waste City initiative driven by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). The Keralam model of waste management, combining decentralised treatment, door-to-door collection by the HKS, and processing at source, has received international recognition.