Innovative ideas have been put in place to have a clean bus stand like at the new one under the Coimbatore Corporation West Zone. There is a separate shelf for dumping plastic bottles or small metal cans which are disposed by the corporation twice a week or once it is full.

The separate shelf was the idea of the then Commissioner G Latha. “People used to litter the empty bottles which used to finally go to the drainage, causing blocks. It is in this backdrop that the new shelf has come, says contractor M Selvan.

In case some on litters, cleaning staff make sure it reaches the shelf, he added. Mary R, a contract supervisor along with 15 others take care of the cleaning up operations.

The awareness level of passengers has gone up and rarely are bottles seen outside the shelf, says Zonal Sanitary Officer R Radhakrishnan.

The collected bottles and cans go for recycling. It took just one week for the corporation to implement the concept which had a Rs 20,000 support from the waste management section, the idea became to reality.

As a trial we first kept it in the New Bus Stand and latter in Gandipuram mofusil Bus Stand too, Radhakrishnan added.

“The bus stand is neat and well maintained. The bottle collection box is a great idea. I think it should be implemented everywhere. I used to through the empty bottles or leave it in the bus. But now my mentality changed,” says K Anbalagan, a passenger.

“Such novel ideas should also be promoted so that our country becomes beautiful”, A Maharajan, a contract worker.