Chennai gets into act to relay roads with plastic wastes

Come Wednesday, the Chennai Corporation has its task cut out – collection of plastic wastes from the residents, which could be reused for relaying main and interior roads.

Taking forward of Dr Vasudevan, Dean ECA & Prof. Department of Chemistry of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai’s invention of ‘plastic road technology’, the corporation has announced Wednesdays being 'Plastic Collection Day' in the city starting from February 22. 

Road relayed using plastic wastes

Every Wednesday conservancy staff on tricycles, would come door-to-door and collect garbage, will specifically ask for plastic waste, especially thin carry bags and covers in which commodities such as pulses and condiments are packaged, for use in laying roads.

Roads using plastic mixed with bitumen are not only stronger and durable, but also cost-effective and environment friendly.

“We have also made arrangements to collect plastics from students of Chennai Schools and private schools. A few private schools, including Velammal group and Alpha group have already agreed to create awareness among their students and ask them to bring plastics that civic body conservancy staff would collect on Wednesdays. We want 100 tonnes of plastic every week,” said a senior official told Hindu. 

Since January 5, when the laying of plastic-coated bituminous roads began, the civic body has been urging residents to hand over segregated plastic waste to conservancy workers at their doorstep. Special bins, particularly for plastic waste, were installed in all 200 wards.

"We are getting more plastic than we did a few weeks earlier, but we require a lot more," said commissioner P W C Davidar. The commissioner stressed the need for good quality, thin plastic. "We need plastic that is 40 microns thick, which in layman's terms means carry bags," he said.

S.Alfred Devaprasad, president, Alpha Group of Institutions said, “School and college students are going to be a part of this. We are coining slogans and be putting up posters in our institutions. After eight weeks prizes would be given to classes that collect the largest quantity of plastic.” 

MVM Velmurugan, CEO of Velammal Educational Trust said, “Children would come forward willingly to participate and bring in plastic waste in large amounts if the purpose is explained properly to them. It is in the interest of the environment and the society. Our trust's 10 schools would take the responsibility of collecting plastics from 30 neighbouring schools.” 

Having set a target of 800 tonnes of plastic material to lay 370 km of roads at a cost of Rs 110 crore, the Corporation is looking at various options, including collecting plastic waste from manufacturers. Around 8-10 per cent of shredded plastic is blended with the bitumen to lay roads.

Of the 78 km of bus route roads and 292 km of interior roads, the Corporation has so far laid 6 km of BRR and 11 km of interior roads due to unavailability of plastic.  Though the civic body had floated tenders for plastic wastes, sources said that it was not happy with the response. 

The civic body has been buying plastic at 20 per kg from private manufacturers. “Each time the participating companies seem to be quoting higher rates for shredded plastics. So instead we are trying to make the residents give plastic waste that they usually throw away. We are getting shredders for every zone so that the plastic could be made into pellets at the zonal level itself,” the official said.

Residents who have large amount of plastics can also send email to plasticwaste@chennaicorporation.gov.in. The civic body is also taking across the message through electronic media and other means of communication.