Roads Laid With Plastic Soon To Be A Reality in Visakhapatnam

Soon the district of Visakhapatnam will put plastic waste generated in the city to good use. GVMC plans to launch a pilot project in which plastic roads will be laid in five zones. 11 roads will be laid by using plastic waste instead of using tonnes of tar as it cuts down the cost by Rs 300 per cubic meter.

Municipal Commissioner M Hari Narayanan stated that more than about saving on cost, it’s about putting the waste generated to good use. Plastic is a non-biodegradable material and similar roads have proved effective for disposal in Hyderabad and Chennai previously. Under ‘Swatchh Bharat Surveksan’ it is mandatory to use 7% of plastic in laying roads.

The waste needed will be purchased from plastic waste traders through a contractor. The plastic will then be pulverised and mixed in tar while laying the road. The perks of mixing in plastic is that it prevents potholes and curbs water damage to roads.

Work to lay roads will be launched in 15 days, wherein 4.5 KMs of roads will be laid in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalle at an average cost of Rs 1.3 crore. The final cost hasn’t been estimated yet though.

Out of the 1,150 tonnes of waste Visakhapatnam generates per day, 8% is made up of plastic. 7% of which is plastic material and 1% makes up of carry bags used by small shops and vendors.