Social Survey on Solid Waste Management at Kottayam at CMS College Kottayam (Autonomous))
REPORT ON THE ONE-WEEK SOCIAL SURVEY ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Organized by the Bhoomithrasena Club & Post Graduate Department of Sociology, CMS College Kottayam Introduction and Institutional Framework
From February 16 to February 20, 2026, the Bhoomithrasena Club (BMC), in active collaboration with the Post Graduate Department of Sociology and Research Centre at CMS College Kottayam (Autonomous), successfully organized and executed a comprehensive one-week social survey focused on Solid Waste Management. Sponsored by the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Kerala, this joint initiative was designed to address the pressing environmental and civic challenges associated with urban waste. The field operations were localized within the busy Market Area of the Kottayam Municipality, a vital commercial zone characterized by high footfall and dense economic activity. Under the leadership of programme co-ordinators Dr. Johnson M M (Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology) and Dr. Rogimon P. Thomas (FIC BMC), the survey sought to analyze current waste disposal behaviors, evaluate community awareness, and identify institutional gaps in local waste administration.
### Participant Dynamics and Survey Methodology
The execution of the survey relied on a unified, structured student workforce, bringing together a dedicated team of 40 volunteers. This participant cohort was comprised of students from both the Post Graduate Department of Sociology and the Value Added Course (VAC). Rather than dividing responsibilities by academic stream, all 40 participating students underwent the exact same process, ensuring complete methodological consistency across the field study. Commencing daily at 12:00 PM, the student teams systematically covered the market area, acting as uniform enumerators.
The primary data collection tool was a comprehensive, structured questionnaire specifically curated for shopkeepers and sellers within the market area. The questionnaire was systematically structured into six operational domains to capture an accurate profile of the market's waste ecosystem:
* **Section A: Basic Information:** Profiled the commercial landscape, categorizing establishments by type (Vegetable, Meat, Fish, Grocery, and others) and documentation of operational longevity (Below 5 years, 5–10 years, and Above 10 years).
* **Section B: Waste Generation:** Assessed daily waste output metrics, dominant material types (Biodegradable, Non-biodegradable, or mixed), primary sources (food waste, plastic, or paper), relative daily volume (Low, Medium, High), and seasonal spikes during festival sales.
* **Section C: Waste Segregation & Storage:** Investigated point-of-origin source segregation practices and identified root causes for non-compliance, such as lack of awareness, insufficient storage bins, collection deficiencies, or operational time constraints.
* **Section D: Collection & Corporation Services:** Evaluated localized logistics, documenting the exact collection methods (Door-to-door, community bins, or private systems), service regularity, weekly frequency, and overall stakeholder satisfaction with the current municipal framework.
* **Section E: Awareness & Health Impact:** Measured commercial compliance and awareness regarding statutory frameworks—specifically the Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016 and the single-use plastic ban—while documenting direct health vulnerabilities like odor pollution and vector-borne hazards (flies/mosquitoes).
* **Section F: Participation & Suggestions:** Gauged institutional cooperation levels and provided open-ended fields for merchants to outline their primary disposal grievances and individual suggestions for infrastructural improvement.
### Key Field Observations and Socio-Environmental Findings
The uniform deployment of the questionnaire across the market revealed critical insights into the operational realities of the commercial hub. A central finding was the noticeable gap between individual awareness and practical execution regarding source segregation. While Section E responses indicated a high theoretical awareness of the single-use plastic ban and partial familiarity with the Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016, Section C responses highlighted that systematic sorting at the point of origin was frequently compromised. Merchants cited a lack of separate municipal bins and severe operational time constraints during fast-paced transactions as the primary reasons for mixed waste disposal.
The data from Section B confirmed a heavy dual footprint of biodegradable food waste and non-biodegradable packaging materials, which dramatically increases during seasonal sales. On the infrastructure front (Section D), while shopkeepers acknowledged the presence of daily municipal collection routines, they expressed a collective dissatisfaction with structural backlogs during peak business hours, leading to immediate public health grievances like foul odors and pest accumulation as documented in Section E.
### Strategic Suggestions and Actionable Recommendations
Based on the direct feedback and suggestions gathered from the merchants in Section F, along with the observations of the student teams, the following practical strategies are recommended:
* **Deployment of Commercial Hub Bin Clusters:** The municipality should install high-capacity, color-coded bin clusters at 50-meter intervals throughout the market to resolve the major grievance of "no separate bins" and facilitate immediate, on-site sorting.
* **Establishment of Vendor-Led Green Committees:** Empowering local merchants through peer-led enforcement groups can foster collective accountability, ensuring better compliance with plastic bans and reducing bulk waste outflows at the source.
* **Decentralized Treatment Infrastructure:** Advocating for the installation of localized Organic Waste Converters (OWC) or small-scale biogas units directly within the market perimeter would allow high-volume organic waste (vegetable, fish, and meat waste) to be treated efficiently without overloading regional landfills.
* **Continuous Student-Led Civic Advocacy:** Maintaining an ongoing partnership between CMS College and the local government would allow student teams to conduct periodic waste audits and public awareness campaigns, such as street plays, to keep civic responsibility at the forefront of the community's mindset.
### Conclusion
In conclusion, the one-week social survey served as an essential bridge between academic theory and practical community development. By mobilizing a combined, uniform team of 40 dedicated PG and VAC (Value added course)students through an identical fieldwork process, the Post Graduate Department of Sociology and the Bhoomithrasena Club succeeded in generating actionable, high-quality field data that reflects the current environmental realities of Kottayam's commercial center. The organizers express sincere gratitude to the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Kerala, for their sponsorship, and look forward to presenting these findings to municipal authorities to drive sustainable policy changes.
Programme Expenditure
| Sl | Particulars | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social survey on Solid Waste Management (Refreshment for Volunteers for 5 days) | 2400 |
| Total | 2400 |
Report of the programme Download