India produces about 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste daily, of which about 9,000 tonnes is recycled. The remaining plastic is either burnt leading to air pollution, ends up in landfills or clogs drains.
Plastic roads can be built from waste plastic - the majority of which is usually put into landfill, incinerated, or polluted into the environment.
Plastic-bitumen composite roads need not be especially discriminating with the plastics used, thus increasing the reuse of plastic. Most plastic waste is not recycled because it is usually mixed with different types of plastic and non-plastic and, so far, the segregation process is labor-intensive with no easy solution.
Using less asphalt saves on resources. Asphalt concrete requires petroleum which is becoming scarcer.
The addition of plastic in asphalt can reduce the viscosity of the mix. This allows a lower working temperature, which lowers VOC and CO emissions.
Cost effective: using recycled, post-consumer plastics is cheaper than using asphalt.
“Our planet is drowning in snack-food packaging that is non-recyclable,” says Almitra Patel, a member of India’s supreme court committee for solid waste management. “If (this technology is) seriously adopted in all cities for all multi-film laminates, it has the potential to achieve near-zero landfill, leaving almost nothing for final disposal.”
To environmentalists who believe that the technology could be harmful because of toxic fumes from plastic residue, Dr Vasudevan points out that the plastic used is softened at 170C. “Plastic decomposes to release toxic fumes only if it is heated at temperatures above 270C. So there is no question of toxic gases being released,” he says. Since plastic coats the stone and interacts with the hot bitumen, it’s properties change and it doesn’t break down when exposed to light and heat.
In 2018, trashing the oft-held view bandied around by plastic-sceptics, Vasudevan Rajagopalan said it is not plastic per se but the woefully inadequate waste management system which leads to the accumulation of plastic debris on both land and in water. "Plastic is a valuable resource," he said while inaugurating the National Conference on Marine Debris at Kochi.
More than 90 per cent of all plastics use oil as feedstock. It currently stands at 5 per cent of the total oil consumption and will use 20 per cent by 2050. In the end, the solution lies in a circular economy.
Non-segregation of waste at source is the biggest hurdle to plastic recycling and waste management in India.
“Ban plastic and it can severely affect the quality of life for a low-income family,” Dr. Vasudevan says. “But if you burn it or bury it, it’s bound to affect the environment.”
Landfilling and incinerating plastic are both problematic methods of managing plastic waste. Plastics in landfills can leak pollutants into the surrounding soil; incinerating creates gaseous pollutants, such as carbon dioxide.Plastic roads can be built from waste plastic - the majority of which is usually put into landfill, incinerated, or polluted into the environment.
Plastic-bitumen composite roads need not be especially discriminating with the plastics used, thus increasing the reuse of plastic. Most plastic waste is not recycled because it is usually mixed with different types of plastic and non-plastic and, so far, the segregation process is labor-intensive with no easy solution.
Using less asphalt saves on resources. Asphalt concrete requires petroleum which is becoming scarcer.
The addition of plastic in asphalt can reduce the viscosity of the mix. This allows a lower working temperature, which lowers VOC and CO emissions.
Cost effective: using recycled, post-consumer plastics is cheaper than using asphalt.
“Our planet is drowning in snack-food packaging that is non-recyclable,” says Almitra Patel, a member of India’s supreme court committee for solid waste management. “If (this technology is) seriously adopted in all cities for all multi-film laminates, it has the potential to achieve near-zero landfill, leaving almost nothing for final disposal.”
To environmentalists who believe that the technology could be harmful because of toxic fumes from plastic residue, Dr Vasudevan points out that the plastic used is softened at 170C. “Plastic decomposes to release toxic fumes only if it is heated at temperatures above 270C. So there is no question of toxic gases being released,” he says. Since plastic coats the stone and interacts with the hot bitumen, it’s properties change and it doesn’t break down when exposed to light and heat.
In 2018, trashing the oft-held view bandied around by plastic-sceptics, Vasudevan Rajagopalan said it is not plastic per se but the woefully inadequate waste management system which leads to the accumulation of plastic debris on both land and in water. "Plastic is a valuable resource," he said while inaugurating the National Conference on Marine Debris at Kochi.
More than 90 per cent of all plastics use oil as feedstock. It currently stands at 5 per cent of the total oil consumption and will use 20 per cent by 2050. In the end, the solution lies in a circular economy.
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