In order to reduce traffic congestion in the area, a new concrete road linking RMZ Ecoworld and the Outer Ring Road (ORR) was constructed solely from recycled plastic waste.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), PotHoleRaja, a social venture, and ORR companies collaborated on the project, which was built with what PotHoleRaja calls a “first-of-its-kind solution” termed “GridMats.”
This is a patented product that can be used to build pavement and roads since it is strong, environmentally beneficial, and made entirely from recycled plastic waste, according to a press release from the company.
“Made from recycled polypropylene, GridMats are placed above the bedding layer and packed with different filling options, creating a permanent, flat, high-quality surface in less than half the time, and at 20% to 25% cheaper the cost,” the press release explained.
The road was constructed using about 3,000 kgs of plastic waste, according to Sourabh Kumar, director of PotHoleRaja.
“It consumes 30% less water than traditional concrete road and it does not require any steel reinforcement. Traditional concrete road technology would have emitted 46.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions to complete this construction,” he said.
“However, GridMats produce only 11.9 tonnes—a significant reduction when compared to the conventional method. We have cut down on close to 34.6 tonnes of CO2e (Carbon Dioxide equivalent emissions) which is the equivalent of emissions produced by driving a car for 1,38,600 km,” he added.
