Chief Minister of Kerala: Stop burning waste in public

All kinds of solid waste, including polythene bags and PET bottles, are being burned in public places. Burning waste throws out lots of pollutants, including sulphur oxides, carbon monoxide and fine respirable particulate matter. But burning plastics gives out toxic gases including dioxin, which is carcinogenic. All this happens because the government bodies that are responsible for disposing waste do not do their job efficiently. However, it is the public that suffer. The government spends a lot of public money on health care, including cancer treatment, often including free medicines for the poor. Some of the burning happens near schools and playgrounds, affecting young children directly.
As the head of the state government and responsible for the overall maintenance of the state, we demand that this practice be stopped forthwith by ensuring that all waste is collected and disposed efficiently by the responsible agencies.