PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Waste plastic and its disposal pose a significant threat to the environment, resulting in global warming and pollution. In bituminous mixes, the use of plastic waste improves its properties and also its strength. As of 2018, around 380 million tons of plastics are manufactured annually worldwide. Some researchers suggest that by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by weight. To overcome this problem, plastic can be used in the construction of pavements and for other purposes. In addition, plastic disposal and various pavement defects, such as potholes, corrugation, ruts, etc., would also be solved. The waste plastic used are polyethylene, poly-styrene, polypropylene. The waste plastic at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% is mixed with hot bitumen and is used for pavement construction. The waste plastic is shredded and coated over aggregate and the resulted mix is used for pavement construction. This will not only strengthen the pavement and also increases its durability. The plastic pavement is resistant to heavy traffic and durable compared to normal flexible pavements. As a smoke absorbent material that can absorb the smoke from the engines, titanium-dioxide is used. This revolutionary technology would be ideal for the hot-humid climate of India. It’s economical and eco-friendly. In this paper, we have discussed about the pavement design, process of construction of flexible pavements by mixing plastic with bitumen.