The deputy commissioner of eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh, Pallav Gopal Jha, said utilization of waste plastic in road construction can help in significantly solving one of the biggest problems of plastic waste management.
He also urged all other departments like PWD Roads, PWD NH and NHIDCL to come up with plans for use waste plastic in road construction in the district.
Stressing on the need of proper training and awareness to the people involved in plastic segregation and shredding in the district, the deputy commissioner appealed NHIDCL authorities to opt for a plan under their CSR initiatives to facilitate local shredders with proper training so that the quality of their products meet the standard for construction purpose locally.
In line with government mission against single use plastic and initiative to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic waste, a meeting on plastic management specially on prospects of using shredded waste plastic in bituminous for road and highway construction was held recently at the conference hall of Dibrugarh Municipal Board.
The meeting, which was chaired by Dibrugarh deputy commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha, was also attended by additional deputy commissioner Ranjit Konwar, assistant commissioner Jagdish Chelani, officials of works departments like PWD NH, PWD Roads, NHIDCL, contractors, plastic segregators and shredders of the district.
At the beginning, executive engineer (i/c), PWD-NH Division, D Nath enlightened on the guidelines of IRC SP 098: 2013 for use of shredded waste plastic in hot bituminous for road and highway construction.
He stated that roads constructed with plastic waste modified mix consume less bitumen, which is cheaper to build and sustainable and also economically viable for all concerned with these sort of constructions.
It also reduces the menace of plastic waste at the same time.
The local shredders, who are presently sending shredded waste plastic to Guwahati and Delhi from Dibrugarh, can use the same in these sort of local use by simply getting the materials certified by CIPET, resulting in curtailment of transportation cost.
It is to be mentioned that exploring a way for safe disposal of plastic waste, PWD, Dibrugarh NH Division had already completed the construction of a 100m trial stretch successfully in front of Naina Cinema Hall, Naliapool in Dibrugarh by using shredded waste plastic recently.