TN allocates Rs 100cr for relaying roads using plastic waste

The Tamil Nadu government has allocated Rs 100 crore for relaying roads using plastic waste, as part of its plastic waste management programmes, which also include promoting usage of plastic waste in cement kilns.

State environment minister B V Ramanaa, who submitted his department’s policy note for 2012-13, stated that the government had been initiating schemes through urban and rural local bodies to lay plastic roads from 2003-04, as part of plastic waste management.

The rural development and panchayat raj department had taken up the initiative of laying bitumen tar road mixed with plastic wastes and completed the works successfully over a length of 1,031 km at a cost of Rs 47.30 crore.

The use of non-biodegradable material, especially plastics, has been increasing rapidly in the state in recent years.

Around 10,400 tonne municipal solid waste is generated every day in Tamil Nadu. It has been estimated that around nine per cent (936 tonnes) of the municipal solid waste by weight contains plastics. Of the 936 tonne plastics, 749 tonne is recycled while the balance 187 tonne non-recyclable is dumped on land or burnt causing pollution, the policy note stated.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said it had identified 1,941 industries manufacturing plastic products like carry bags, sheets, ropes and PVC pipes. Of these industries, around 150 manufacture products from recycled plastics.

As the performance of the roads relayed with plastics was reported to be better than the roads laid conventionally, the government had sanctioned a sum of Rs 50 crore during the year 2011-12, it said.

The board also said it was taking various initiatives to safeguard the environment from degradation due to the hazardous and plastic wastes.

“As part of this endeavour, the board is directing the cement industries to co-incinerate plastic waste as an alternate fuel in the cement kiln. The cement industry at Tirunelveli is utilising plastic waste in the cement kiln regularly,” it said.