Over the past four years, Rajasthan’s Public Works Department (PWD) has successfully built more than 61,000 km of roads, with over 15,000 km incorporating plastic waste.
The integration of plastic in road construction offers dual benefits: curbing plastic pollution and enhancing road longevity. Engineers have observed that these plastic-infused roads demonstrate at least 10 percent more durability compared to conventional roads.
The government’s active promotion of this practice and efforts to generate plastic waste within the state is expected to boost its usage in road projects. Previously reliant on imported waste, the state is now encouraging local production of “made in Rajasthan” plastic waste.
Already, several firms and NGOs in the state have started producing plastic waste specifically for road construction. The innovative approach has been employed in all types of roads built by the PWD, including district roads, major district roads, state highways, and even roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
While the initiative’s long-term impact is yet to be fully gauged, similar efforts in regions like Madhya Pradesh have yielded positive results.
