Abstract: The debate on the use and abuse of plastics vis-à-vis environmental protection can go on, without yielding results until practical steps are initiated at the grassroots level by everyone who is in a position to do something about it. The plastic wastes could be used in road construction and the field tests withstood the stress and proved that plastic wastes used after proper processing as an additive would enhance the life of the roads and also solve environmental problems. The present write-up highlights the developments in using plastics waste to make plastic roads. The rapid rate of urbanization and development has led to increasing plastic waste generation. As plastic is non-biodegradable in nature, it remains in environment for several years and disposing plastic wastes at landfill are unsafe since toxic chemicals leach out into the soil, and under-ground water and pollute the water bodies. Due to littering habits, inadequate waste management system / infrastructure, plastic waste disposal continue to be a major problem for the civic authorities, especially in the urban areas. As stated above, plastic disposal is one of the major problems for developing countries like India, at a same time India needs a large network of roads for its smooth economic and social development. Scarcity of bitumen needs a deep thinking to ensure fast road construction.
Keywords: roads, grassroots level, practical steps, plastic wastes, road construction.
|
DOI:
10.17148/IARJSET.2023.10725