Jamshedpur has set an example in recycling for the rest of the country by using plastic waste for road construction.
Plastic waste is one of the most prominent sources of environmental pollution. Making the problem worse is the fact that it is hard to dispose of.
The initiative which started out as a pilot project is now being replicated across the city and so far 48 to 50 kilometers of roads in the city have been constructed using plastic waste.
Plastic bottles, wrappers et al are collected from across the city and brought to 10 collection centres. The waste is then broken down by shredding it to 2mm to 4mm before processing it further.
This initiative was a result of a research started two years back by Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company (JUSCO), a subsidiary of Indian corporate giant TATA.
"This technique not only improves the quality of roads but also helps rid the city of plastic waste, which was once an enigma," Managing Director (M.D) of JUSCO, Ashish Mathur said.
"We did a research to find out if plastic waste could be recycled in such a way that it could be utilized properly. We started with granulisation of the waste and then mixed it with the bitumen used to make roads, which gave brilliant results. Today all the roads that are constructed in Jamshedpur use 20 to 30 percent of plastic waste mixed with bitumen," he added.
Plastic helps bind the road construction mix better resulting in longer lives for roads and also helps in cutting down the overall maintenance cost of a road.
A technician, P. Dandpad, said mixing plastic with road mix increases the life of roads by 50 percent over regular roads.
"When a road is constructed, first the aggregate is put in the traumeel and heated at 160 degrees. Shredded plastic is sprayed on it which laminates the aggregate, which reduces the water absorbing capacity of the road to zero," he said.
More of plastic in road construction mix means more of bitumen, a natural occurring resource, saved.
