THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Having successfully used non-recyclable plastic waste to tar state highways, the public works department is all set to expand the project to all roads in the state. The project – involving the use of plastic waste like food storage containers, disposable diapers and bottle caps – began in 2017 with the support of the Clean Kerala Company.
According to statistics available with Clean Kerala, 1,579.59 metric tonnes of shredded plastic were used for the purpose till November 2023.
The state government has entrusted the Haritha Karma Sena with facilitating the collection process. Whether at the block, village or panchayat levels, they are responsible for carrying out the door-to-door campaign to collect and segregate plastic waste.
PWD Chief Engineer
(Roads) Ajith Ramachandran told TNIE that the model is cost-effective and makes roads highly durable. “Over the past few years, the frequency of road cracks and damage have been low because of the new method of mixing shredded plastic with bitumen. We have implemented the method over 15,000 km of roads, including state highways and major district roads. We will use it on the remaining roads and will also use it to resurface roads where work has already been completed,” he said.
Clean Kerala Managing Director G K Suresh Kumar said the company collects an average of 1,000 tonnes of segregated recycled plastic waste every month from local bodies associated with it.
“In addition to recycled plastic, we also collect 200 tonnes of unclaimed plastic waste. These are then shredded to bits of a maximum size of 2 to 2.55 millimetres each, as directed by the Indian Road Congress. There is a separate shredding machine for this purpose. The shredded plastic is later sold to PWD at `16 to 20 per kilogram,” he said.
The company now collects all types of waste including glass, cloth, e-waste, drug strips, tyres, shoes and hazardous waste. It now works as a support system for local bodies in waste collection and segregation. Currently, more than 800 local bodies in the state are using the services of the company.
The local self-government department (LSGD) had stated in June that the company collected 5,355.08 tonnes of waste in May, compared to 3,728.74 tonnes the same month last year.
The amount of segregated plastic waste collected has increased by more than 60%. In May this year, the company gave `63.55 lakh to Haritha Karma Sena while the corresponding amount for April stood at `57.02 lakh, the LSGD had said.
Meanwhile, allegations have risen that the unscientific mixing of bitumen with shredded plastic before tarring creates a foul smell causing suffocation and unease for local residents. While PWD and the Clean Kerala Company acknowledge the issue, Suresh said it can be resolved if contractors follow the guidance of PWD officials.
“There is a procedure for mixing bitumen with shredded plastic. Some ignorant contractors mix them without any guidance. That causes pollution and inconvenience to the public. This can be solved only with proper guidance and regular monitoring by PWD,” he added.
In addition to PWD, the Clean Kerala Company also provides shredded plastic to the National Highways Authority of India and the LSGD for various purposes.