NEPAL’S FIRST PLASTIC ROAD: A technology for future

For the first time in Nepal, Pokhara-based Green Road Waste Management Company builds a road with the use of waste plastics. Photo LB Thapa

By LB THAPA

The evils of plastics are known to the world because they do not biodegrade and therefore plastics can remain in landfills and rivers for centuries. Taking the evil effects of plastics into consideration, the government of Nepal did put a ban on the use of plastic bags. However, due to weak implementation, plastic bags are still in use right under the nose of the government. 

At a time when the use of plastics has taken off the sleep of the world, a Pokhara-based Green Road Waste Management Company has come up with an innovative idea of making roads with the use of waste plastics. 

“Traditional way of making roads is expensive. The use of bitumen mixed with asphalt increases the cost of road construction. We use the solution of waste plastics into bitumen mixture so that the quantity of expensive asphalt can be reduced to a great extent. The roads made with waste plastics are cheaper, long-lasting, and environment friendly,” said Bimal Bastola, the engineer of the company. 

Green Road Waste Management (GRWM) has become Nepal’s first company to use waste plastics to make roads. Recently the company has made 100m roads at Anupam Marg in Pokhara-14. To build this road, of the 2,475 liters of bitumen, up to 16% was plastic. 

“The use of plastics saves Rs.200,000 per km of road. That means if 200km roads are made with waste plastics it will save Rs.20 million”, said civil engineer Rajiv Subedi of Green Road Waste Management. 

Prior to making this road, the Green Road Waste Management team had spent about a week in Bhutan, where they studied the effectiveness of this technology. In fact, making roads with plastic may be a new technology for Nepal, but this technology has already been in use by many countries including India, Bhutan, the UK, and Australia. 

Photo: worldhighways.com

Spending a week in Bhutan had been proved extremely fruitful. The Green Road Waste Management team was contented with their understanding of the use of plastic in road-making technology. Using their knowledge, Bimal Bastola, the engineer at Green Road Waste Management, seems to be satisfied with the 100m road he has constructed at Anupummarg, Pokhara-14. 

“The road we have made is just on a trial basis. It is only 100m long but I am convinced about its success. Soon our company will get big contracts from the government and we will be busy constructing plastic roads in the country”, said engineer Bimal Bastola. 

In fact, for Nepal, this technique may be new but in India and elsewhere it is not. India, for the first time, used waste plastics in road making in 2001. Since then India has made over 100,000km of roads and Bhutan has made over 200km of roads.  

Only last year Indian government did announce the investment of 6.9 trillion rupees ($11 billion) to build 83,677km (52,000 miles) of roads in five years. About 11 Indian states have used this technology to build more than 100,000 km of roads. Indian city Indore has won Two-time India’s Cleanest City titles. Indore recycles 100% of its plastic waste and uses 5,000 kilos of waste plastic to build 45km roads in two years. 

Photo: captain-planet.net

Plastic roads are found better resistant to water stagnation and these roads have less water clogging during monsoons. In short, the life span of plastic roads is much better than traditionally tarred roads. 

When asked how plastic waste is used to make roads, Bimal Bastola, engineer, said: “Once all the plastic waste is shredded into fine pieces they are heated at 165⁰c. Bitumen is added into the mixture and again heated at 160⁰c to make the final substance for constructing roads. As per the quality of tar, 10-30% of it is replaced with waste plastic. The interesting thing is that both plastic and tar are petroleum products, which is why they gel well together”. 

Using waste plastics of urban areas to make into roads is the best remedy for environmental degradation. In fact, the growing use of plastics in modern times is hard to stop completely. In a situation like this, roads made with plastic can bear heavy loads and resist water for a longer period in comparison to traditionally build roads. Such characteristics make plastic roads strong and durable.   

Photo: LB Thapa

The amount of plastic waste has been regularly increasing in many countries. This is more hazardous than many people think of because tons of plastic-made items are thrown sporadically. Every year a large number of sea birds, sea animals, marine turtles, and uncountable fishes perish due to plastic waste. 

Many times whales and turtles consume plastic bags thinking of jellyfish. Sea birds and mammals get attracted to brightly colored plastic items floating on the ocean surface, which they ingest and die. It is estimated that every year about 8 million tons of plastic waste is dumped into the ocean. If this practice is continued unabatedly, then by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.   

Over the years, many countries have taken cudgels in their hands to fight against plastic pollution, but without much success. It seems that concerted efforts from all walks of life must be needed to put a tab on plastic waste. Among others, plastic waste has emerged as one of the major threats to the existence of all living creatures. 

Getting rid of plastics is easier said than done. There are so many plastic-made items available on market, which people use in their daily life, and avoiding them completely is next to impossible. However, collective efforts of the people and governments can help reduce the severity of the plastic threat. The first step of getting rid of plastics is to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Efforts should be made to cut short the amount of plastic waste from reaching landfills and water bodies. In nutshell, the use of plastic waste in road making will largely protect the world environment from its rapid deterioration. 

LB Thapa is a Pokhara-based freelance writer and author.

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