Pakistan’s first plastic road, Ataturk Avenue, Islamabad...a sustainable way to plastic waste mitigation.

 

Plastic waste, which can be used, to pave roadways is an idea gaining consideration globally, especially in global south contexts where single-use plastic use is rising, and waste management is often lacking. 

A prominent street in Ataturk Avenue, Islamabad has been identified as the first road to re-create plastic carpets under a mega project of the "World Without Plastics" program and according to experts, eight tons of used plastic (PET bottles) will be mixed with road constructing material, asphalt, for re-carpeting the road. This project enables the use of recycled PET waste to be part of a circular plastic economy and have a considerable positive impact on the environment.

Coca-Cola Pakistan and Afghanistan have partnered with Capital Development Authority (CDA) and TeamUp / National Incubation Centre (NIC) to work towards creating a World Without Waste.

According to the project authority, the road will also be a model project in durability, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness while being environment-friendly.

Plastic roads are made entirely of plastic or its composites mixed with other materials. Plastic roads are different from standard roads as standard roads are composed of asphalt concrete, which consists of mineral aggregates and asphalt. Most plastic roads sequester plastic waste within the asphalt as an aggregate.

The plastic road is not a novel idea as plastic roads pioneer developed by Rajagopalan Vasudevan in 2001, consist of an asphalt mix with plastic waste incorporated into the asphalt mixture. The utilization of plastics on roads also opens a new possibility for recycling post-consumer plastics. Australia, Indonesia, India, the United Kingdom, the United States, and many other countries have used this sustainable technology which consolidates plastic waste into an asphalt mix.

Plastic waste links to several of the SDGs including, Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) through how waste is managed; Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), to how plastic is used in the economy; and Climate Action (SDG 13), as plastic derives from fossil fuels.

Pakistan generates at least 30 million tons of solid waste per year. Some sources claim this number is as high as 48 million tons, whereas it is estimated that solid waste generation is increasing by 2% to 3% per year. Out of this, 77 thousand tons per day is generated in main metropolitan areas whereas 70% to 80% of this waste is collected for proper disposal. According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) environment project report on solid waste management published in 2016, Pakistan's plastic waste is at fourth position amongst all solid waste collected.

Pertinently, Pakistan imported approximately US$76 million worth of Bitumen in 2018. Thus, the use of plastic waste on roads pavement provides an opportunity for significant import substitution, and result in substantial savings of foreign exchange. The Payment details on imports made in US Dollars for Bitumen during the year 2018 were PKR 11,959,315,712 or US$76,248,509 against the 195,509 metric tons. At least 10% was possible as direct saving whereas the same saving rate is possible to achieve due to such stronger constructions mix of roads.

Plastic roads can be built from waste plastic to reduce and mitigate the solid plastic waste, the majority of which is usually put into landfills, incinerated, or polluted into the environment. Land-filling and incinerating plastic are both problematic methods of managing plastic waste. Plastics in landfills can leak pollutants into the surrounding soil; incinerating creates gaseous pollutants, such as carbon dioxide. Using less asphalt saves on cost and resources. Asphalt concrete requires petroleum which is becoming more scarce. The addition of plastic in asphalt can reduce the viscosity of the mix. This allows a lower working temperature, which lowers VOC and CO emissions. Plastic-bitumen composite roads have better wear resistance than standard asphalt concrete roads. They do not absorb water, have better flexibility which results in less rutting and less need for repair. Road surfaces remain smooth, are lower maintenance, and absorb sound better.