A material that contains one or more organic polymers of large molecular weight, solid in its finished state and at some state while manufacturing or processing into finished articles, can be shaped by its flow, is called ‘Plastic’. Plastics are durable and degrade very slowly; the chemical bonds that make plastic so durable make it equally resistant to natural processes of degradation. Plastics can be divided into two major categories: thermosets and thermoplastics. A thermoset solidifies or “sets” irreversibly when heated. They are useful for their durability and strength, and are therefore used primarily in automobiles and construction applications. Utilization of waste plastic bags in bituminous mixes has proved that these enhance the properties of mix in addition to solving disposal problems. Plastics have been used several times with innovation for roads. In relation to these innovations, In Suryapet, the pavement is being prepared with plastic waste.
Pavement prepared with plastic waste
The Suryapet municipality of Telangana has set up a plastic brick manufacturing unit at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. Soon, suryapet city became the first city in the country to build pavements with plastic bricks. Suryapet municipal Chairperson Perumalla Annapurnamma said that the development and beautification work is completed and this will give the city a new look. He said that the plastic bricks made in the unit were sent to JNTU in Hyderabad for quality testing. “Based on the report, we use bricks and plates produced from plastic waste,” he said.
Although companies have been fined up to Rs 20,000 for using plastic carry bags, there is little impact here. The reduction in plastic use did not come to the expected level. Hence, we have focused on recycling plastic waste and setting up a unit to make bricks. Suryapet municipality Chairperson said that these units produce 200 plastic bricks every day and can afford 50 tons of bricks. This action is intended to give a makeover to the municipal image. The project is expected to be completed in a few months. Speaking about the development work of the municipality in the city, he said that the road widening work is going on at a cost of Rs 10 crore, which is almost complete. It is expected to solve the decades-old problem of traffic in the city.
As part of the city’s beautification project, landscapes are drawn with water fountains at five junctions. It has five junctions – Court Centre, PSR Centre, Girinagar Square, Ambedkar Square and Jangon Crossroads in town. The municipality is spending Rs 1.22 crore on the development of these five junctions. Apart from this, work is also being done at a cost of Rs 2 crore in five parks in Nirmala Hospital, AV Enclave, Anjanapuri, Indiramma Colony and Venkataramana Colony. After these parks are completed, the city’s people will have enough space to breathe in the open space, as they have no park available so far. The municipality has built 55 government toilets at a cost of Rs 80 lakh, including 74 existing government toilets to maintain cleanliness in the city. He said the integrated market complex is likely to start in March.