100-metre plastic road prototype laid in Gurugram Sector 51
The process of using plastic waste for road construction starts with the collection of plastic, shredding it to a particular size and heating the mixture to 165 degrees Celsius. The heated polymer is mixed with hot bitumen, at 6% to 8% by volume.
Taking forward its plan to use plastic waste to build roads in the city, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on Wednesday laid a prototype 100-metre stretch in Sector 51. This road would be tested for quality over the next month, according to an MCG official associated with the project.
The stretch would be supplemented by a second prototype road of 150 metres in the same area. Rakesh Sharma, executive engineer, MCG, said, “We have picked this particular spot due to its high traffic volume. If a plastic road can withstand the traffic here, it can do so in other parts of the city.”
He said that extensive tests will be carried out over the next few weeks to check for rutting, stripping and pothole formation. “The technology is solid though and we are not expecting any untoward result,” he said.
Yashpal Yadav launched the construction of the prototype around 2pm on Wednesday, after which the stretch was built. Yadav had announced on November 22 that the MCG’S proposal would be rolled out in December.
According to Yadav, a day’s worth of plastic waste output (20 tonnes, about 2.2% of Gurugram’s daily waste output), can be used to construct a 10-kilometre network of roads. To facilitate the collection of plastic waste, the MCG has proposed setting up 21 collection points across the city.
Speaking at the launch, Yadav said, “Such roads have been constructed in other states and have shown to be far more durable (than regular ones) and cost-effective. We hope to replicate this model here as well.”
The process of using plastic waste for road construction starts with the collection of plastic, shredding it to a particular size and heating the mixture to 165 degrees Celsius. The heated polymer is mixed with hot bitumen, at 6% to 8% by volume, according to MCG officials.