Focus on plastics use in roads

In a bid to prove the ulitisation of the plastic waste for construction of roads, the Indian Plastic Federation, has requested the state government for 1 km stretch of road anywhere in Kolkata.

"We would construct the road using the plastic waste and show that the such roads better in terms of both longevity and stability," said KM Tabriwala, president, Indian Plastic Federation.

The federation would also like to hire R Vasudavan as an expert to implement the project, provided their proposal is accepted, he added. "R Vasudavan is the head of the Chemistry department in the Chennai based Thiagarajan Engineering College, and was instrumental behind the 1000 km stretch of road built in Tamil Nadu, using plastic waste and he would be assisting us in the project," Tabriwala said.

Terming the recent ban on the use of plastic below 20 microns as a "death warrant" to small manufacturers, the president said that out of total 400 units of small manufactures, 300 units have been closed down which would affect around 20,000 families.

He called for a proper waste management system in the state, saying, "There must be two containers in every household for waste disposal, one for kitchen and the other for dry plastic waste."

"This has been implemented in the Cooch Behar district very successfully, without banning the usage," he added.

According to Tabriwala, who was speaking with the media on the sidelines of the 48th annual general meeting of the federation, the state needs to develop proper infrastructure to manage the solid waste.

"The key lies on a proper waste management policy and the corresponding implementation, the ban is not a proper solution," he added.