Coimbatore: A mass cleaning drive will begin on June 5 to clear old materials dumped on all govt offices premises in Coimbatore district. This is in connection with the statewide initiative ‘Thooimai Mission’ for sustainable waste management in Tamil Nadu and the observance of the World Environment Day.The statewide mission was launched in April. On Friday, the first meeting of the mission was conducted in Coimbatore district. District-level and block-level committees have been formed. NGOs and volunteers who are already working on a similar mission have been included as committee members at various levels in panchayats and villages. Ten members of the Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore (RAAC) are part of the district-level committee.RAAC secretary R Raveendran said the focus is to have source segregation at the grassroots level, go for recycling and eliminate landfills. In the present scenario, even in a small village, panchayats are gradually creating landfills due to a lack of process, which is the result of mixed waste. There are local recycling industries in the market that are performing well.“We are already working in Perur and Keeranatham villages with progressive results in waste management. Even if we separate plastic waste, the multi-layered packaging (MLP), i.e., packaging of chips, biscuits and other eateries, must go for different processing, which will later be sent to the cement industry. However, if we combine all kinds of plastics together, they will certainly end up being dumped in vacant spaces or water bodies. Also, scrutinising the best vendor for recycling should be taken care of,” said Raveendran.He specified that the old materials like tables, chairs and other items that still hold capital value would be sold, and the rest would be sent for recycling. “Unlike any other activities like desilting, municipal solid waste management is a daily process without compromise. The major problem is the payment for sanitary work, which stands low. Probably if their payments are raised from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000, there would certainly be a viable change in waste management,” he added.