Local bodies reaps in money from roads using plastic waste

At a time when plastic waste is choking Kerala state, the local bodies are eyeing to turn the trash into gold. With the Clean Kerala Company, a state government initiative, coming up with a project to use plastic in road construction demand for the same has skyrocketed. Several local bodies are reaping in profit by supplying waste plastic for road construction. 
 

As many as nine local bodies, including corporations, panchayats and municipalities have installed plastic shredding units and are supplying these for road construction. Clean Kerala Mission has used over 16 tonnes of waste plastic to construct roads and need another 17 tonnes this week to continue with the work. 
 

"We aim to find a sustainable solution to the plastic menace by finding a means to make use of it," an official of Clean Kerala Mission said.
 

There are several initiatives to tackle the issue of plastic waste through recycling. However, non-recyclable plastic pose a significant threat and finding a means to get rid of this is a challenge. This project aims to find a feasible way to address this issue, the officer said.
 

Clean Kerala Mission has managed to join hands with 110 local bodies, and among them, nine civic authorities are supplying shredded plastic while others are buyers. "We are providing shredded plastic at ₹15 per kg," the official said. 
 

The rate of waste plastic has jumped since state government decided to use plastic in road construction across the state on an experimental basis. 

• plastic road
• Clean Kerala Mission
• Shredded plastic
• non-recyclable plastic
• environment friendly roads