Plastic – The management of solid waste, which has a devastating effect on the environment, has now emerged as a major problem facing the world. Plastic has played a leading role in this. Because it has become so deeply ingrained in our way of life that we can’t even think of getting rid of it. Every year, about 300 million metric tons of plastic waste is generated worldwide (about 2,000 metric tons per day in our country), which continues to pollute the land, water and even the air.
So scientists are seriously thinking about ways to get rid of it. Therefore, the three policies they have adopted are: redesign, recycling, and reuse, which means reducing, recycling, and reinvesting, and the first of these is meaningless, with the use of plastics growing at a rate of 12 to 14 percent worldwide each year. Efforts are underway to reduce the amount of waste by applying high temperatures in processes such as plasma pyrolysis, turning it into vapors (carbon dioxide and water vapor). Work is underway to restore its micro-organisms to biodegradable and biodegradable plastics. But in each case, they have seized it, despite obstacles we can scarcely imagine.
Plastic, on the other hand, is recycled at four levels. As a result, the emissions of toxic fumes are increasing at every level and have a detrimental effect on the environment. Up to 20 percent of plastic waste is still recyclable. Similarly, there are various problems with its reinvestment.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for example, has repeatedly banned the use of plastic containers of food, beverages or medicines. At the same time, there is little hope that high temperatures will result in the use of liquid-vapor fuels and road construction. The latter is believed to have considerable potential, especially in alleviating plastic pollution.
One of the first scientists to think about this was Vasudevan (2002), former Dean of the Thiagaraj Engineering College in Madurai. He has a patent for this. According to his method, 40- to 100-millimeter pieces of bitumen are first heated to a temperature of 145 degrees Celsius, and plastic waste is cut to 2.5 to 4.5 mm. Mixing it creates a layer on it. In the end, the road is built at 110 to 120 degrees Celsius.
The advantages of such a road are that it is very strong, waterproof, durable, without holes or cracks, with a high variance of strength, maintenance requirements and ultraviolet light. It is estimated that about 1 ton of plastic or about 1 lakh carbags can be invested in the construction of 1 km of roads. With its reuse, about 1 ton of bitumen can be saved, valued at about Rs 50,000.
Meanwhile, Bangalore-based technology scientist and businessman K, Aamkha is his K.K. Plastic West Management Pvt. Ltd. has already built more than 1,000 km of plastic roads in various parts of the country. The Madras Municipality has proposed to build 1,500 to 2,000 km of such roads (2012) and has made some progress.
In addition, Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company has decided to experimentally cover 22 roads there as soon as possible. Foreign countries such as Singapore, Denmark, and the Netherlands, on the other hand, have also resorted to the technology to build plastic roads.
Our state is no exception. The Rourkela Steel Plant was built on an experimental basis last year from Rourkela Club within Shaktinagar Square. A short road of 1 km. Gradually the old road was repaired and the new road was built. “Technology will be given priority,” he said. The process could also be extended to other cities and rural areas.
According to estimates for 2016, Bhubaneswar produces about 8600 metric tons of plastic waste annually. It is not uncommon in all other cities or towns in the state. Therefore, in order to get rid of it, it is important to use it in road construction.
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Another suggestion may be made here – the use of this waste in the construction of houses. Laribekar, a world-renowned architect who translated it, points out in one of his books (low-cost house-building) that a good house can be built by identifying good quality clay, adding the concrete made of it to the mud, and simply pouring sand-cement on it.
Such a home is good for the environment. This is because it does not need wood or coal to burn bricks, it protects against the emissions of polluted fumes coming out of bricks, and in the end such bricks will easily mix with the soil (no burning bricks). It is possible to change his mind slightly and give plastic-bitumen balls (plastering) in such a house. It will reduce costs and will also help the environment. The government is now building thousands of homes in its various public welfare programs. It should be used experimentally in it first. Architects need to think about its usefulness.
Huge amounts of plastic waste will be needed if road and house construction can be used. If it is successful from a commercial point of view, the technology may spread around the world. Therefore, a cheaper, more convenient, effective and environmentally friendly way will be introduced to get rid of its contaminated effects.