Page 74 - Plastics News July 2018

in the news

Use of waste plastic in road work New course on waste management

mandatory in Maharashtra introduced at Madurai

he State has made it mandatory to use waste he newly launched Environmental Information
Tplastic and industrially-recycled plastic in all road TSystem (ENVIS) Centre at Thiagarajar College of
construction and repair works. A government resolution Engineering Madurai inaugurated a master training
(GR) issued directed the use of plastic in asphalting course on “Waste Management” under the Green Skill
works following a successful experiment. The move, Development Programme. National expert, Swachh
according to the government, will ensure roads with Bharat Mission, Malmitra H. Patel, who is also the
member, Supreme Court Committee for Solid Waste
better quality at lesser price and help tackle the waste Management, inaugurated the programme at the
plastic problem, which is likely to arise after the ban. campus
The GR said the Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research too has found that such roads are of better
quality and less expensive.“All roads made of waste
plastic will undergo a quality test after every three
months, and a report will be submitted to the State
government after a year,” the GR said. Following the
government directions, use of waste plastic in asphalting
work will now have a special mention in road tenders,
and the chief engineer of the respective area will be
tasked with supervising junior officers on whether they
are using waste plastic or not.The Central government
through a notification dated November 9, 2015, had ENVIS centre coordinator and the College Dean, Extra
made use of waste plastic mandatory in the upper layer Curricular Activities, R. Vasudevan, said "TCE has been
chosen to handle Plastic Waste Management. This
centre will collect all data on plastic materials right
from production, supply, utilisation and disposal and
technologies connected with disposal." The Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change has formed
65 ENVIS centres in the country.“The centre through
its website will share the information with the people
and with the Ministry through regular news letters,” Dr.
Vasudevan added.As part of activities of ENVIS Centre,
the Ministry has given its permission for running a two-
month certificate course on green skill development
programme. This programme will be on waste
management. The syllabus and course material on the
programme will be given by the Ministry and it would
of the asphalt road built by hot mix technique.The State be run by the ENVIS centre. Besides theory classes and
PWD department on February 2, 2016, had asked its expert lectures on the college premises, the students
regional offices to use waste plastic in building roads on will be taken to various places where waste disposal
an experimental basis. On May 25, the chief secretary are being taken up using different technologies,” Dr.
had informed the Prime Minister via videoconferencing Vasudevan said. The course is aimed at making jobless
about the better quality of asphalt roads constructed graduates employable. “They could find jobs or become
by mixing waste plastic and that the technique is one entrepreneurs,” he added. Twenty students have joined
of the answers to tackle the plastic problem. the course in the first batch. The Centre has planned
to run course for at least four batches in a year.

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