Page 18 - U4SSC Case study: City solid waste management, June 2020

authorities. The same concept is being extended to major highways and also to the city roads, particularly
in those areas with excessive rainfall.

Results

This project has succeeded in leading the cities to solve two major challenges in a city in India:

• Prevention of potholes during rainy seasons.
• Disposal of non-biodegradable plastic waste.

In addition to contributing towards good road construction, namely roads that have a longer life
and require less maintenance, this project helps in the process of handling urban plastic waste. This
constitutes a sustainable and smart solution.

There are other indirect tangible benefits. Potholes in a city cause a slowing down of the traffic,
which, in turn, increases air pollution and also results in the wasting of precious fuel, which needs to
be imported. Apart from this, potholes on the city roads make them prone to accidents, particularly
during the rainy season. Mitigating this challenge is an important step towards improving the quality
of life in a city. It has had the following impacts:

Social impact: There are many people involved in collecting waste, including plastic waste. Since
there is an opportunity for them to sell this waste to organizations involved in road construction,
this constitutes a potential source of income, as road construction activity in a developing country is
a continuous process. Smooth flow of traffic due to prevention of potholes during rainy season also
ensures better quality of life.

Economic impact: The use of plastic materials in road construction ensures the road’s greater longevity.
Polymerised bitumen makes the road more flexible and can take heavy traffic without showing signs
of wear. Thus, less maintenance is required in the process, which is also economically beneficial in the
short term, as well as over the long run. There are also significant savings in the use of fuel resulting
from the improved quality of roads.

Environmental impact: Plastic waste is a big challenge, particularly for the environment. Many types
of plastic are not recyclable. But when used along with the bitumen prevents the environmental
degradation due to plastic waste.

12 Case study: City solid waste management, June 2020