A proposal to dispose of 265 tonnes of mixed waste, including biomedical and solid waste, allegedly dumped illegally in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu in December 2024 and subsequently shifted and stored at the hazardous waste treatment facility of Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited (KEIL), has been placed before the Kochi Corporation Council for approval.

The Corporation plans to undertake disposal with the assistance of the agency engaged in biomining the legacy waste at Brahmapuram. The Local Self-Government department (LSGD) Secretary had written to the Corporation on March 17, 2026, directing that the waste be disposed of at the earliest. Earlier, in January, a meeting chaired by the LSGD Special Secretary had entrusted the Corporation with the responsibility of disposal, with expenses to be borne by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.

However, progress has stalled in recent weeks as officials became preoccupied with the Assembly elections. Though the illegally dumped waste was reportedly traced to a few hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram, it was transported and stored in Kochi due to inadequate facilities under the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, according to Corporation officials.

Truckloads of waste were transported to the KEIL facility from Tirunelveli under heavy police protection. Initially, KEIL believed that only a few truckloads were to be shifted there but was shocked as over 200 tonnes of waste were eventually brought in. It has since been kept in a vacant space under temporary covering. The waste, originally meant to be stored for just a few days, has remained there for nearly one-and-a-half years now.

While the Corporation estimates the volume of waste at 186.98 tonnes, KEIL insists that it amounts to 265 tonnes. “We cannot dispose it of through land-filling since it is a mixed lot, including plastic, solid, and biomedical waste,” said N.K. Pillai, chief executive officer of KEIL.

Sources in the Corporation said the waste would be segregated initially before disposal. The project will be incorporated into the supplementary agreement to be signed by the Corporation with the biomining agency.