India has been building their new roads using recycled plastic, and they’re strong enough to withstand typhoons, monsoons, and extremely hot weather. According to a World Economic Forum Report, India has more than 100,000km of road that is made with this new road building technique.

Using waste plastic for new roads has improved the country in a number of different ways such as lessening pollution and increasing job availabilities. These roads also last thrice as long as those conventionally built; and they are greener, stronger and maintenance free.

Through the government’s recycling program, plastic litter of mostly water and soda bottles is collected, then shredded in machines. They are then melted at around 170 degrees Celsius and mixed with hot bitumen. This material becomes a very durable adhesive that builders mix with the tarmac for road building. Sold to companies that build the road infrastructures at a cheaper price, these companies end up saving about 8% in costs and a tonne of asphalt. 1 kilometre of road uses about 1 million plastic bags that are sustainably recycled into better use.





With the second-second-largest road network in the world, India has one of the highest road accidents globally, reaching about 500,000 road accidents per year. Nearly 10% of reported accidents were because of potholes in their poorly built roads. Jambulingam Street, located in Chennai was the first road ever to be made in waste plastic in the early 2000’s, and after years of cars, trucks and rickshaws passing through this road daily, it has still withstood any potholes or cracks. “Plastic roads will not only withstand future monsoon damage but will also solve the problem of disposing of non-recyclable plastic,” said Isher Judge Ahluwalia, the former head of India’s urban infrastructure government committee.





Has your country started recycling plastic waste and using it to build roads?

What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!

True Activist / Report a typo