PMC to erect 25-km road using plastic waste mixture

Pune like other cities are making good use of plastic waste. Making durable roads and it has proved to be a popular solution to tackling waste also. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) plans to construct 25km length of roads in the city by using the mixture of plastic waste.

Pune municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar said that the civic body has already carried out the pilot project of using mixture of plastic waste for road surfacing at at Navi Peth, Vimannagar and Koregaon Park.

Having seen the benefits of road resurfacing using plastic waste at decided stretches, the civic body has decided to make at least 25-km-long road using the technology, said Kumar. The Indian Road Congress has also given its go ahead to use the technology for erecting roads.

Kumar said that plastic waste generated in the city is a big headache for the municipal administration. The new technology will help to sort out the problem of plastic trash in the city. The plastic trash collected by rag pickers or PMC staff will be utilised for mixture in the road material. Already, the trials are successful.

The PMC is also getting help from Dow Chemical International and Rudra Environment for erecting the hot mix plant at Yerawada where plastic trash would be mixed with the tar material. The plastic waste tar material produced at the Yerawada hot mix plant would be utilised on these proposed 25-km road.

The company would collect or purchase the plastic waste from the city and process it and the plant at Yerawada would process it without incurring any cost to the civic body.

The Central and state governments are also in favour of using the technology. Even it is considered that the use of plastic waste along with tar helps to improve the durability and longevity of roads. The major benefit of it is that it will help to reduce soil pollution and is considered to help in increasing water resistance.

Using plastic waste

PMC with help from Dow Chemical International and Rudra Environment is erecting the hot mix plant at Yerawada where plastic trash would be mixed with tar material.

The environmentally conscious approach to road construction plastic litter was developed in India around 15 years ago

In November 2015, the Indian government has announced that plastic roads would be the default method of construction for most city streets.

Urban areas with more than 500,000 people are now required to construct roads using waste plastic with the project coming under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign.

According to experts, 90 per cent of bitumen is amalgamated with 10 per cent of everyday plastic waste. These products are shredded into small pieces and mixed with the liquid before laying it on the road.

Tar-cum-plastic roads is 25 per cent better than unmodified roads and is almost 200 per cent resistant to soaking up water and durability is high. The maintenance cost of the road is very low.