The Indian Government has announced its plans to double the number of roads constructed using plastic waste. To date, 1 lakh km of such roads has been made in the nation. So who got this mind-blowing idea in the first place? Can plastic be seen in a more eco-friendly and sustainable light now?
Crux of the Matter
Plastic, A Foe No More? Nitin Gadkari, India’s Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, had announced in 2016 about plans of using plastic waste in road construction. Since then, the central government has made it a point to use plastic in constructing 1 lakh km of road in 11 states in the nation.
Big Milestone! 1 Lakh Kilometres Of Roads In India Are Being Made From Plastic Waste.This initiative falls in line with govt’s #SwachhBharat Abhiyan that aims to address India’s garbage crisis.Kudos PM @narendramodi ji, @nitin_gadkari ji #TransformingIndiahttps://t.co/m1mpSkdkX4 — Dr. Swapneil B. Mantri #CoronaWarrior (@drsbmantribjp) July 6, 2020
Now in this financial year, the government is planning to double that figure. Earlier this year, Reliance Industries had stated its plan to work with NHAI and individual states, to supply a plastics-infused mix to make roads.
Reason Behind This Plan? According to the Union environment ministry, India generates more than 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day, wherein 40% remains uncollected, creating a polluted environment.
Think for a moment about the immense contribution these people make towards recycling our plastic waste. Without them, we’d lose so many more ocean lives as the recyclable materials would end up in the ocean instead of being in those recycling plants. pic.twitter.com/jijtRkpgSe — Recycle India (@recycleindia) July 14, 2020
This waste is dumped in landfills and various drains, from where it eventually finds itself in oceans. Now there will be reduced pressure on the waste management system, which uses a lot of water and can be very expensive as bitumen or asphalt, a binding mixture used in coating roads, is costly.
The Plastic Man of India? The government had made it mandatory for all road developers to use waste plastic, along with bitumen, in 2015. The technology for this plastic waste disposal was developed by the ‘Plastic Man’ of India, Prof. Rajagopalan Vasudevan, a professor of Chemistry at TCE, Madurai.
If only every country would approach the plastic waste issue with such a positive attitude. While we talk of banning useful items, the Plastic Man of India has found two perfect ways to recycle plastic. This could end plastic waste 100% and make jobs. https://t.co/TC1HcU9TAX — Patrick Moore (@EcoSenseNow) March 15, 2020
His test of mixing waste plastic with heated bitumen and coating the mixture over stone had positive results. Thus he went on to use plastic waste in a road, constructed inside the premises of his college in 2002. In 2006, its patent was received and in 2015, he received the Safai Giri award from PM Modi.
What is Plastone? In 2012, plastone was created by mixing a stone block with plastic/granite/ceramic coating. It was found to resists water percolation, the downward movement of water in the soil.
Plastone samples presented by Prof. R. Vasudevan in Madurai, Source: The Hindu
Plus it could withstand more pressure than cement, which has a tendency to wither away in constant rain. A coat of emulsion had the ability to make it more colourful and aesthetically pleasing.
The 2 Es: Eco-friendly And Employer A road construction process made using plastone, without releasing toxic gases, is more eco-friendly than its counterparts like cement and granite Additionally, it helps provide employment to thousands of rag pickers in the country.
What an idea, this India company is doing a great job in recycling plastic waste in durable tiles. We need more companies like them also need wide implementation of this products #MakeInIndia #EnvironmentalInnovation pic.twitter.com/WNkO8VVFY8 — Tiash Sarkar (@tiash06) July 15, 2020
Not Heat Or Rains, But Caterpillar A Threat? Scientists at Cambridge have discovered that hungry caterpillars can break down the chemical bonds of plastic like they digest beeswax. Dr. Paolo Bombelli says further research is needed on this, while Alan Read, owner of Ames Pest Control believes that the caterpillars aren’t strong enough to eat the roads made of plastic.
Meanwhile Across The Globe
With each km of road laid using our MR products, we use up the equivalent weight of 740,541 one time use plastic bags. 1 tonne of MacRebur mix contains the equivalent of 80,000 plastic bottles. Chris Sparks, CEO of MacRebur
In a vision wherein plastic roads last longer and have fewer cracks than conventional bitumen, Chris Sparks, the CEO of UK Based MacRebur, is working with manufacturers who have it as a waste by-product.
More plastic roads for #Cumbria https://t.co/OhDuKHmit8 — MacRebur (@MacRebur) July 2, 2020
If Senate Bill 1238 is passed in Florida, US , the state’s transportation department will begin looking and the product and setting standards for its use.
Curiopedia
In a 2006 report known as Plastic Debris in the World’s Oceans, it was estimated that at least 267 different animal species have suffered from entanglement and ingestion of plastic debris. It has been estimated that over 400,000 marine mammals perish annually due to plastic pollution in oceans.
Adidas Parley is the official collaboration product line between Adidas and Parley for the Oceans, an environmental organization that addresses environmental threats towards the oceans, through ocean plastic pollution. Adidas Parley shoes are produced with recycled plastic which helps to mitigate the amount of plastic that ends up in the ocean plastic ocean debris.
McDonald’s in Austria after switching to paper straws used its old plastic straws to recycle and introduce a swimwear range in the burger chain’s iconic yellow and red. McDonald’s Austria marketing director Benedikt Böcker commented: “We are delighted about our unique sustainable swimwear collection made from recycled material in our classic straw design.”
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