Karachi, known as the city of lights gets its first ever road made with plastic. The concept of plastic-infused road is introduced by a petroleum company in Pakistan, Shell. They used discarded lubricant bottles to convert into reusable material for road construction.
Along with shell other collaborating partners include start-up BRR Enterprises and local authority District Municipal Corporation (DMC) South to construct the road. Aim is to reduce plastic waste materials and promote environment-friendly practices.
This 730 feet long and 60 feet wide road used 2.5 tonnes of plastic lubricant bottles for its construction. The said road is the one in front of Shell House Karachi.
By incorporating these plastic bottles into the asphalt road using the dry process method, the company effectively reduced plastic waste while contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious solution.
Plastic waste has long been a major concern due to its non-biodegradability and toxic nature. Studies have shown that a simple plastic bag can take up to 500 years to decompose. While a plastic bottle can persist for approximately 300 years. Recognising this threat, Shell Pakistan’s initiative aims to address the issue of plastic waste and its impact on the environment.
There are several advantages of using discarded plastic in construction of roads. These roads are more durable, flexible and their lifespan is three times longer than the traditional roads. In addition to that, construction material used for construction of conventional roads is more expensive. Where as cost of using plastic is much less. Other than that, using discarded plastic in such constructive way will help to reduce pollution. It will equally benefit human beings on ground as well as underwater sea creatures. A lot of underwater species die annually because of the plastic waste thrown in water channels.
This recycling and utilization of plastic is need of hour, especially in countries like Pakistan, where we usually do not have much funds for infrastructure development.
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