Lok Sabha Question No. 898 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-21
Subject: Use of Plastic Waste in Construction of Highways
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Bidyut Baran Mahato, Manoj Kishorbhai Kotak, Meenakashi Lekhi, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar, Sudheer Gupta, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik

898.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.898

ANSWERED ON 21 ST  NOVEMBER, 2019

## USE OF PLASTIC WASTE IN CONSTRUCTION OF HIGHWAYS

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO: SHRI MANOJ KOTAK: SHRIMATI MEENAKASHI LEKHI: SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR: SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI SANJAY SADASHIV RAO MANDLIK:

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government/National Highway  Authority of India (NHAI) has used or proposes to use waste/recycled plastic in  wearing  course of highway  construction on  a pilot  basis  in  the  country  particularly  in  the  State  of  Tamil  Nadu  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;

(b) whether the Government proposes to make it compulsory for NHAI to use eight per cent  of  plastic  waste  in  construction  of  highways  especially  in  areas  located  within  50 KM of urban  areas  that  have  a  population  of  five  lakh  or  more  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;

(c)  whether  the  Government  has  recently  directed  all  the  regional  offices  of  NHAI  to collect  plastic  waste  and  coordinate  with  the  States/Union  Territories  to  receive  plastic waste for use in road construction and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government has also undertaken various awareness generation programmes against the use of plastic and if so, the details thereof;

(e)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  field  trials  on  the  roads  which  are constructed with the use of plastic waste in order to consider its use on national highways and if so, the details thereof and the total length of roads constructed using plastic waste during each of the last three years; and

(f) whether the technology being used is according to the guidelines of the Indian Road Congress for construction of highways at present and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) to (f)  Indian Roads Congress (IRC) has formulated IRC SP: 98:2013 'Guidelines for the  use  of  Waste  Plastic  in  Hot  Bituminous  Mixes  (Dry  process)  in  Wearing  Courses' based  on  laboratory  as  well  as  field  performance  studies/investigations  carried  out  in

India.    As  per  IRC  SP:  98:  2013,  use  of  plastic  waste  is  up  to  8  percent  by  weight  of bitumen  and  as  per  mix  design  requirement.  To  encourage  use  of  waste  plastic  on National Highway, Ministry has also issued Guidelines for its use within 50 km periphery of urban areas having population 5 lakh or more. The Guidelines also stipulate to take up a stretch of at least 10 km as pilot project for assessment of its performance. In the last 3 financial years, waste plastic has been utilised in wearing course in about 11 km of NH stretches in the State of Tamil Nadu. Moreover, Government has decided that in 2019-20 the  'Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign (SHS)' will focus on plastic waste management as main  theme,  wherein  instructions  have  been  issued  for  collection  and  re-use  of  waste plastic.    This  includes  awareness  generation,  recycling,  effective  disposal  of  collected plastic waste including its usage in road construction.

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