Goa explores using Plastic Waste in Road Construction

In response to directives from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the Public Works Department (PWD) of Goa is currently exploring the feasibility of incorporating plastic waste into road construction across the state.According to the ministry's latest guidelines, the utilisation of plastic waste is now mandatory for the wearing coat of service roads and slip roads throughout national highways and the periodical renewal coat of main carriageway on national highways within a 50 km radius of an urban area with a population exceeding five lakh.PWD Principal Chief Engineer, Uttam Parsekar, explained that while plastic waste was previously used in road construction in Ponda several years ago, the ministry now provides specific specifications regarding the type of plastic that can be employed. The plastic waste can either be transformed into molten form or granules before usage. This requires the implementation of a distinct system during the road construction process.The Union Transport Ministry has mandated the use of plastic waste not only in national highway projects but also for roads in all centrally sponsored projects. Parsekar stated that Goa is in the process of establishing the necessary mechanisms to comply with the ministry's guidelines.In earlier attempts, Goa had utilised usable components of construction waste and debris as a road base. However, this approach proved ineffective as the debris often contained a mixture of waste, and Goa lacks a processing plant to handle it adequately. Consequently, only about 10 per cent of the waste could be utilised.Additionally, Goa has yet to implement a method for reusing waste generated from removing the old road surface to lay new roads. While the old layers can be successfully removed from road surfaces, Parsekar acknowledged that they have not yet found a way to utilise this waste for the construction of new roads.