NEW DELHI: The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which builds and maintains the strategic roads, has begun a trial project of constructing strategic roads connecting mountain areas with the use of waste plastic. “A directive for trial was issued by BRO Director General Lt Gen Harpal Singh for construction of roads using waste plastic material.
Six roads in border states passing through difficult mountainous terrain and inclement weather conditions were identified for the trial.” sources in BRO said. The roads identified are in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram where the top layer of road surface will be constructed with Bituminous Concrete blended with certain percentage of shredded waste plastic material as pilot study.
Talking of the methods adopted, the officer said, “BRO constructs roads in ecologically sensitive border areas. We are aware of the importance of adopting environmental friendly construction. Disposal of waste plastic is a matter of grave concern. Unscientifically dumped plastic waste is creating an environmental crisis around the world. Now, waste plastic is collected and shredded before it is mixed with aggregates and bitu men at the design temperature.”
The resultant material is then used for black topping of the road surface as a wearing course. The use of plastic prevents seepage of water or moisture in the surface and assists in close binding of aggregates resulting in a smooth and durable surface with a longer life span.