VIJAYAWADA: At a time when the Central government steps up efforts to recycle plastic waste through innovative infrastructure practices, Andhra Pradesh appears to be lagging in the use of recycled plastic for road construction, according to official data presented in Parliament.
In a reply to the question asked by the MP Bachhav Shobha Dinesh, Union minister for Road Transport and Highways Nithin Gadkari shared the information that AP has just used recycled plastic for only about 35 kms in the last two years.
While the Centre has made the use of waste plastic mandatory in National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) road projects, Andhra Pradesh has laid only about 35 kilometres of roads using recycled plastic, this accounts for nearly 12 per cent of the road length achieved by the state in earlier years, indicating a sharp slowdown in implementation.
It is worth mentioning that waste plastic is increasingly being used in road construction as part of a broader push towards sustainable infrastructure and a circular economy across the country.
Plastic waste roads are known to be more durable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly, while also helping divert large quantities of plastic from landfills and water bodies. Policy guidelines mandatory to use waste plastic in hot bituminous mixes for NHAI projects. During DPR preparation, consultants must identify plastic sources, assess quantity and properties as per IRC SP:98, and include provisions in Schedule B of EPC or HAM bids, regardless of urban or rural location.
Despite this, AP’s performance is modest compared with other states. Nationwide, tens of thousands of kilometres have been built with plastic waste under schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and NHAI. Uttar Pradesh (1,401 km) and Karnataka (740 km) show far higher recent adoption, highlighting gaps in implementation and inter-state coordination.
Experts attribute the slowdown in AP to multiple factors, including gaps in plastic waste collection and segregation systems, inconsistent incorporation of recycling provisions in DPRs and limited coordination between urban local bodies and highway executing agencies.
Ironically, the slowdown comes at a time when AP has announced renewed efforts to curb plastic pollution. The government has revived anti-plastic drives, announced bans on single-use plastics in urban centres and set ambitious targets to move towards a plastic-free state in the coming years.
Meanwhile, environmental experts opined that the effective use of waste plastic in road construction could serve as a practical solution to manage plastic waste while improving road quality.