Page 35 - Plastics News February 2018

FEATURES
FEATURES

India keen to build more roads with plastic waste

With the Government keen to deliver on its promise managing Plastics waste most of the states are joining
the force. GVMC and PMC adds to the list

ndia has the world's second-largest road network and with plastic waste across its various zones, PMC is to erect
Igiven the latest impetus India should use its biggest 25-km road using plastic waste mixture
investment in road construction to make its roads safer. GVMC lay 26 roads across the city
Analysts are of the view that not only it needs to be safer
they need to build them cheaper with a home-grown In a smart and eco-friendly move, the Greater
technology that salvages plastic waste.Though India has VisakhapatnamMunicipal Corporation (GVMC) has been
the world's second-largest road network it also has one laying road made from plastic waste in various parts of the
of the highest numbers of road accidents globally. Official city, thereby putting the non-biodegradable plastic waste
data recorded more than 150,000 deaths from about to good use. By December 2017, they completed 16 such
500,000 accidents last year. road stretches. These roads are not just cost-effective but
lasts longer than the usual asphalt roads. Taking a step
further towards becoming a smart city, GVMC had mooted
this project in 2016 when they had laid 10 roads across
all its zones includingAnakapalli. In 2017, till December,
16 more roads were completed. The length of various
stretches ranged from a few metres to three kilometres.
The aim is to construct more and more roads from plastic
waste wherever re-laying of roads is required and plastic
waste is available.

Dr A Hemanth, chief medical officer of GVMC said, "Under
solid waste management rules (2016), we are re-processing
plastic waste and also using the non-biodegradable waste

Nearly a tenth of those deaths were caused by accidents for road relaying whereever road repair is needed. Around
involving potholes, which are a common feature of Indian 5-6% of the total dry waste generated in city consists of
roads. Earlier in noven , the government announced an plastic waste and procurement of plastic is part of the
investment of 6.9 trillion rupees ($11 billion) to build practice of collecting segregated household waste from
83,677 km (52,000 miles) of roads over the next five door-to-door. Depending on the availability of plastic,
years. Analysts called for them to be built with a tested we will lay more roads with plastic waste across all the
technology using plastic waste, which reduces costs and GVMC zones. After laying such roads, we are putting up
makes roads more durable and thus safer. "Plastic roads a signboard to increase public awareness indicating that
will not only withstand future monsoon damage but will the road has been laid using plastic waste and bitumen.
also solve the problem of disposing of non-recyclable We have spent around Rs 2.5 crore in laying those 16 roads
plastic," said Isher Judge Ahluwalia, former head of a from plastic waste in 2017."
government committee on urban infrastructure. The roads from plastic waste consists of 8% plastic and 92

With the Government keen to deliver on its promise % bitumen or asphalt. There is a dual advantage of such
managing Plastics waste most of the states are joining roads. Besides utilising plastic waste effectively, "The cost
the force. GVMC and PMC adds to the list. According to of laying such roads is less than the usual asphalt roads
the latest reports while GVMC has already laid 26 roads and more important, the quality and longevity of such
roads is higher than the usual bitumen roads. If asphalt

35 Feb ruar y 2018 Plastics News