Weddings in Kerala are all slated to go green and environmentally-friendly, with the state government having notified a Green-Protocol for the auspicious occasion. The protocol is part of the Kerala government's push for a cleaner state, and has laid down guidelines for how marriage receptions should be conducted and how the waste generated from them should be disposed of.
The guidelines provide directions on taking the nature-friendly way when it comes top weddings and wedding receptions. It puts down guidelines on wedding shopping as well! For example, it urges wedding shoppers to bring paper or cloth bags with them rather than asking for polythene bags from shopkeepers.
The Green-Protocol also states that wedding receptions should shun the use of disposable materials, like plastic, styrofoam or even paper, when it comes to crockery and cutlery. It has instead pushed for the use of tumblers, plates and other things made of glass, steel or some other materials. The reasoning behind this is believed to be that while the latter may easily be cleaned and reused, the former will always end up in the garbage bag, and is not readily biodegradable.
The Kerala government has also urged that organisers of wedding receptions should segregate their waste depending on whether they are dry or wet. The Green-Protocol also states that biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes should be separated as well, as should be the case with recyclable and non-recyclable waste.
The protocol has also called for setting up of bio-gas plants and reservoirs where suitable waste material from weddings can be sent to be used to generate environmentally-friendly fuel. It remains to be seen how far the protocol succeeds in reducing waste in Kerala, and if after this it will be extended to other sectors in the state.
It may be noted that Kerala is a notable tourism hub, and tourism is a sector that tends to generate quite a bit of waste. Success of the Green-Protocol in weddings could lead to its implementation in Kerala's tourism industry as well.
