Rudranagar GP leads Bengal in plastic waste recycling for road construction

Kolkata: The plastic waste management unit at Rudranagar Gram Panchayat (GP) under Sagar Block in South 24-Parganas has emerged as the front runner in the state when it comes to processing of plastic waste to manufacture shredded plastic which is being used in construction of rural roads.

“The by-product of waste plastic popularly known as shredded plastic produced in our Rudranagar plant is catering to the requirement of a number of blocks in the South 24-Parganas district namely Canning, Baruipur, Thakurpukur-Maheshtala when it comes to construction of plastic-mixed bituminous road. We have already sold 2,500 kg of shredded plastic from our Rudranagar plant which is a record for the entire state,” said a senior official of the district administration.

Waste plastic is being collected from the sea beach and various other Gram Panchayats under Sagar block and is transported to the Rudranagar unit where it is segregated and then processed to manufacture shredded plastic.

The district administration has been pushing for a plastic-free Gangasagar for the last two years which has contributed to the steady collection of plastic from various Sagar blocks and sea beach. A senior official of the Panchayats and Rural Development (P&RD) department said that plastic-modified bitumen prevents cracks and enhances the overall quality of roads. The roads are more durable, resilient to extreme temperature, waterlogging and wear and tear due to heavy traffic movement.

“The cost of bitumen can be reduced by using plastic waste as an additive, potentially making the process cheaper in areas with abundant plastic waste,” he added. The P&RD department has already constructed 700 km of rural roads with plastic waste and has set a target of constructing more than 1,500 km of rural roads through plastic in the 2025-26 fiscal. The state government has already set up 108 plastic waste management units (PWM) out of which over 100 units are functional.