Government of India

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

Rajya Sabha

Question No. 2371

Answered on 09^th December 2019

Use of Plastic Waste in Road Construction

2371. SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR:

Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS be pleased to state:

(a)The steps being taken by Government to use plastic waste in road construction in the country, after it was made mandatory in 2015;

(b)Whether eco-friendly initiative of using plastic waste in road construction is economically feasible;

(c)Whether Government has studied/ assessed the impact of such roads and whether Government intends to replace bitumen with plastic waste in future; and

(d)If so, the details thereof?

ANSWER

The Minister of Road Transport and Highways

(Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari)

(a)to (d) To encourage use of waste plastic on National Highways (NHs), Ministry has issued Guidelines for its use within 50 km periphery of urban areas having population of more than 5 lakh. The Guidelines also stipulate taking up of a stretch of at least 10 km as pilot project for assessment of its performance. Moreover, Government has decided that in 2019-20 the “Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign (SHS)” will focus on plastic waste management as main theme, wherein instructions have been issued for collection and re-use of waste plastic. This includes awareness generation, recycling, effective disposal of collected plastic waste including its usage in road construction. Until now waste plastic has already been utilised in wearing course of about 50 km of NH stretches. Indian Roads Congress (IRC) has formulated IRC SP: 98:2013 “Guidelines for the use of Waste Plastic in Hot Bituminous Mixes (Dry process) in Wearing Courses” based on laboratory as well as field performance studies/investigations carried out in India. As per IRC SP: 98: 2013, plastic waste is used up to 8 percent by weight of bitumen in the bituminous wearing course and as per mix design requirement.

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