KOCHI: Nearly 20% of new roads proposed across local bodies in Ernakulam this fiscal will be constructed using plastic waste.
The move comes close on the heels of a major government campaign for scientific processing and disposal of plastic and e-waste in the State from August and to promote the construction of polymerised roads.
Plastic waste was used in around 10% of roads constructed by local bodies in Ernakulam last year. The decision to encourage the construction of polymerised roads is expected to evolve as a sustainable solution to the issue of plastic refuse.
Clean Kerala Company, the government agency involved in implementing projects to make the State waste-free, will collect shredded plastic from local bodies. It will be handed over to the Public Works Department (PWD) and the engineering wing of the Local-Self Government Department (LSGD) for construction of polymerised roads.
Nearly 13 local bodies in Ernakulam have now supplied over 3,100 kg of shredded plastic waste for the construction of polymerised roads. The municipalities and grama and block panchayats in the district and the quantity supplied by each local body are: Kalamassery municipality (900 kg); Mazhuvannoor grama panchayat (526 kg); Pampakuda (71.54 kg); Thiruvaniyoor (537.13 kg); Thirumarady (113 kg); Sreemoolanagaram (221 kg); Edappally (220 kg); Ramamangalam (270.72 kg), and Thrikkakara (330 kg).
The shredded plastic materials collected from these local bodies were supplied from the Kochi Corporation’s waste dumping site at Brahmapuram.
For the record, the government had permitted local bodies to use 10% plastic in the tarring mixture for constructing roads. The shredded plastic is mixed with bitumen for road laying. According to officials, shredded plastic and bitumen are mixed at 165-degree centigrade at tar mixing units. This mixture is laid out on the road before it cools. Clean Kerala Company estimates that the mixing of bitumen with plastic could prevent frequent damage to roads, especially owing to heavy rain and waterlogging.
Clean Kerala Company had offered ₹15 for a kilogram of shredded plastic collected from the nine local bodies in the district. The total earnings of these local bodies were around ₹48,000 after the campaign was launched.
They also ensure that clean and dry plastic is brought to the material recovery facility at Brahmapuram through the existing collection network available in each region.
The company will also identify agencies for the supply of plastic scrap shredder (for shredding low-grade plastic), blade grinding machine, and hydraulic baling machine at the nearly 1,000-sq ft shredding facility required under the project. The marketing of plastic granules is done by the company based on a separate agreement with local self government institutions.
