Plastic Waste Management is an integral part that should be focused on & processed for productive plastic waste control. It needs implementation of proper actions right from the plastic waste inception to its final discarding. It is very crucial to understand the amount of damage occurring to our planet because “Convenience at the expense of the planet is not convenient at all”.
Keeping such thoughts together and implementing his creative ideas,
Rajagopalan Vasudevan, an Indian scientist was the first to introduce the term ‘PLASTIC ROADS’. He was the one to make the initial development & patent of the technology to reuse the plastic waste for building long-lasting roads. Although the term was new, the transformation created wide accessibility for effective plastic waste management.
‘Plastic roads’ constructed since 2002 have not developed blisters or potholes,
Dr. Vasudevan
How are Plastic Roads Constructed?
The procedure for the construction of plastic roads is very simple and does not require any new equipment or machinery. Since plastic roads are a moderately new idea, construction processes differ from place to place.
The Construction Process:
- Collection of plastic wastes (HDPE, LDPE, PET, PP), including plastic carry bags, hard foams, laminated plastics, etc.
- Proper cleaning of the wastes
- Shredding it down to a manageable size
- melting plastic wastes at 165°C
- Mixing the whole with hot aggregates and bitumen
- Finally, laying the road with this mixture
The compound can consist of plastic waste with an asphalt mix which is converted into asphalt mixture or bitumen. The same procedure has been adopted by various countries like Australia, Indonesia, India, and the United States, etc.
The Indian States which Adapted the Construction of Plastic Roads:
| INDIAN STATES | YEAR | ROAD LENGHT |
| Tamil Nadu (Chennai) | 2002 | 1035.23 KM |
| Jharkhand (Jamshedpur) | 2011 | 15 KM & more |
| Madhya Pradesh (Indore) | 2014 | 35 KM |
| Maharashtra (Pune) | 2016 | 150 Meters |
| Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow) | 2021 | 792 KM |
All the major municipalities of India have experimented with the technology that including cities like Pune, Mumbai, Surat, Indore, etc. Among them, Chennai was the first global city to adopt the technology & lay a 1000 km plastic road.
In addition to the plastic waste recycling, Recykal teamed up with Unilever in channeling waste across 6 districts of Arunachal Pradesh – Roing, Namsai, Changlang, Tezu, Lohit, and Itanagar. Part of the waste channeled was used in laying roads in the Tezu region. The project was commended by the ‘District Urban Development Agency’ of Tezu as an initiative that protected the environment in the region.
Advantages of Plastic Roads Construction:
- Plastic roads can be engineered to requirements like weather, wear-resistant, etc due to their multiple chemical & physical properties.
- Plastic roads can replace 2 problematic methods to manage plastic waste i.e., landfilling & Incinerating plastic. This will resist the leakage of pollutants into the soil and air.
- This process increases the reuse of plastic as the plastic-bitumen composite roads can be built with any kind of plastic wastes.
- These roads are cost-effective, durable, construct better, require less resources & save the environment from dangerous plastic waste.
- According to Volkerwessels’ proposed concept, plastic roadways can have hollow built to make wiring, connecting pipes, and other tasks easier.
Various other important factors justify that plastic road construction is one of the best ideas for an effective plastic waste management system.
A recent gambit of constructing plastic roads was taken by the Uttar Pradesh government. On Aug 25th, 2021, India’s largest sugarcane department has laid a 792 km’s road by using plastic waste. This initiative has served a two-way purpose of facilitating rural road connectivity schemes & protecting the environment.
The whole idea supports the plastic recycling process but the major hurdle is to gather the plastic garbage, segregate them & various other groundworks.
So, if you are ready to own your responsibility towards mother nature then connect with Recykal.
With a transparent & traceable digital platform, our expert team will help you out with all the details right from the recycling process of plastic waste management to EPR fulfillment.
Contact us now!
