📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Vis M
Technology
Kerala Recycles 4,447 Tonnes of Plastic into Road Pavements
✍️ The Economic Times
🗓 22 Sep 2026, 03:46 PM
👁 12
The state of Kerala has repurposed 4,447 tonnes of discarded plastic to construct nearly 7 kilometres of roads, showcasing a novel waste‑to‑road initiative.
Kerala has turned a significant amount of plastic waste into a useful infrastructure asset, converting 4,447 tonnes of discarded plastic into road pavement covering almost 7 kilometres.
The project, carried out by the state’s public works department, involved shredding the plastic into small flakes, mixing them with bitumen, and laying the composite material on freshly prepared sub‑bases. The resulting surface is designed to be durable, resistant to cracking, and easier to maintain than conventional asphalt.
Environmental experts say the initiative reduces landfill pressure and cuts greenhouse‑gas emissions associated with traditional road construction. It also creates a model for circular economy practices in the state’s rapidly growing infrastructure sector.
Officials plan to expand the program to additional districts, aiming to cover more kilometres of rural and urban roads by the end of the year.
The project, carried out by the state’s public works department, involved shredding the plastic into small flakes, mixing them with bitumen, and laying the composite material on freshly prepared sub‑bases. The resulting surface is designed to be durable, resistant to cracking, and easier to maintain than conventional asphalt.
Environmental experts say the initiative reduces landfill pressure and cuts greenhouse‑gas emissions associated with traditional road construction. It also creates a model for circular economy practices in the state’s rapidly growing infrastructure sector.
Officials plan to expand the program to additional districts, aiming to cover more kilometres of rural and urban roads by the end of the year.