Win gold with compost from waste: Kovai Corporation’s shiny offer

To encourage students and their parents to make ‘wealth out of waste,’ the Coimbatore Corporation has introduced ‘Uram Seyya Virumbu’ (Love to make compost) campaign for students. 

As part of the Swachh Bharat initiative, the students were educated on waste segregation and composting techniques. “They were taught to make manure from organic waste by dumping it in a 2-ft deep pit at their houses.

Non-bio-degradable waste like plastics should be brought to schools. It will be collected by Corporation staff for recycling,” said Corporation Commissioner K Vijayakarthikeyan, after launching the project at a school on Wednesday.

A student in each class, and one class at the school level, besides the school which collects the maximum quantity of inorganic waste will be rewarded for helping the civic body in keeping houses and surroundings clean. Of them, the ‘selfie with compost’ contest has turned out be the main attraction.

Parents need to WhatsApp a selfie with their children and the organic manure created from waste to the number 81900 00400.

Parents, who send a selfie, will get a ‘gold category certificate’ while other participants will get a ‘silver category certificate’.

“The two best selfies sent by parents will be rewarded with a gold coin daily. Corporation staff will visit the houses to ensure that they have a compost pit and the organic manure was originally made by them,” said Vijayakarthikeyan.