'Do something drastic, cut the plastic' − a slogan which has recently taken India by storm. Whether you like it or not, plastic items have become an integral part of our lives. From waking up to the buzz of a plastic phone to using a plastic toothbrush to carrying plastic money, plastic is very much here. And there is hardly any way to escape the fact that it causes an irreparable damage to the environment.

Even when we cannot completely shun the use of plastic, the least that we can do is to implement the 3Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle to prevent more damage. In an one-of-a-kind bid to manage plastic waste, Jamshedpur has come up with the innovative roads made with disposed plastic. Disposal of waste plastic is no longer an issue for the Jamshedpureans. Did you know that Jamshedpur's plastic roads initiative is a step toward becoming a smart city?

About 15 kms of road in Jamshedpur has been constructed using plastic waste. Built by Jamshedpur Utility and Services Company (JUSCO), these roads practically incur no maintenance expenses. The recycled plastic waste is mixed with bitumen to make better roads with less expense. For each stretch of 1 km long and 4 meter wide road, 1 ton of bitumen of Rs 50,000 was saved. Ever since JUSCO started constructing waste plastic roads, there has been a considerable reduction in the use of bitumen. It has been known that the longevity of the plastic waste roads is two times better than normal roads.

JUSCO's know-how is now extended to municipal corporations of Chas, Ranchi, Jamtara Nagar, and Giridih where they are taught how to make these roads. In Ranchi, a stretch of 1 km with 500m each in Morabadi and Durwa have already been constructed. In Chas and Jamtara, over 3 kilometres of road and a 500 meter stretch in Giridih have been constructed. According to JUSCO officials, when 10% of bitumen is substituted by plastic it reduces the expenses of Rs 50,000 to Rs 10,000. The plastic-bitumen roads are averse to potholes and extremely water-resistant. The added advantage is that it will be maintenance-free for the first 5 years.

This initiative is to be saluted and replicated if we are to reduce our plastic waste. If nothing is done soon, plastics will not only end up clogging our drains and flooding our cities causing massive damage to the environment and becoming a health hazard, but also chocking marine life in our oceans. More local governments in India should emulate this model to reduce costs, environmental damage and save our cities!

'Do something drastic, cut the plastic' − a slogan which has recently taken India by storm. Whether you like it or not, plastic items have become an integral part of our lives. From waking up to the buzz of a plastic phone to using a plastic toothbrush to carrying plastic money, plastic is very much here. And there is hardly any way to escape