India's first plastic road to be built with Geocell Technology in..., know all about this sustainable initiative

To address the pressing issue of plastic waste and to introduce sustainable infrastructure in major cities, Bharat Petroleum Corporation will soon bring plastic roads to Delhi. According to experts, this might be the first initiative of its kind in the world. The government petroleum company has partnered with the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), New Delhi, to develop eco-friendly road infrastructure in the form of Geocell technology, by using plastic waste. This initiative will help in reusing everyday waste, especially mixed waste plastic, as a sustainable solution.

The corporation is taking the initiative through its Corporate Research & Development Centre. An aggressive testing has already been done after which an application for a patent will be filed making this a pioneer in advanced road infrastructure. Scientists from Bharat Petroleum and CRRI working on the project hail it as a major achievement. Experts are of the view that plastic waste has become one of the biggest global concerns as it is growing every year and if plastic is reused, it can contribute to waste management and improve the overall quality of the roads. Moreover, India would become a leader in the innovation of such technology of the project proves to be a success, setting a global precedent.

The initiative is in line with BPCL R&D’s previous project of the Waste Plastic Module which proved to be a success consuming more than 250 metric tonnes of plastic waste across different Indian states.

The plastic road is being constructed near the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, closer to Sarai Kale Khan.

What is Geocell technology?

Geocell technology is a major solution for the unsegregated municipal waste issue, including multi-layered plastics. Its successful trials took place in partnership with Tata Projects. The success of these trials is based on the technical and economic practicality of using plastic waste in infrastructure building, with a focus on road construction.

The technology works by making boxes with three-sided dimensions of 9 inches by 9 inches by 9 inches. These boxes are filled with bitumen mix material for road construction. Around 30 tonnes of waste plastic can be used to construct a 100-metre road, proving plastic waste as an effective means of materials used in road construction.