State government builds 10-km rural roads using plastic waste

Patna: Single-use plastic collected from rural households in Bihar is being repurposed for village road construction, converting a persistent waste problem into a resource for stronger rural infrastructure. The initiative is being implemented under the rural development department’s Lohia Swachh Bihar Abhiyan (LSBA) following the rollout of door-to-door garbage collection in rural areas.

Officials said the plastic waste gathered from households is being channelled to 171 plastic waste management units established across the state. After segregation and processing, the material is supplied to the rural works department for use in road construction. The department is blending shredded plastic with hot bitumen to lay plastic-mixed roads, a method that has been promoted in several parts of the country as a way to improve road durability while reducing plastic litter.


So far, Bihar has constructed 10.5 km of roads using about 8 metric tonnes of plastic waste in three districts—Purnia, Khagaria and Aurangabad—according to district-wise data shared by the departments involved. In Khagaria, a 1-km stretch has been built using around 1 metric tonne of plastic. In Purnia, a little over 4 km of road has been laid using more than 3 metric tonnes of plastic. Aurangabad accounts for 5 km of plastic-mixed roads, consuming about 3.5 metric tonnes of plastic waste.

Ratnish Verma, state advisor for Solid and Liquid Waste Management under LSBA, said the process uses shredded low-density and high-density plastic along with PET material, mixed with hot tar at a ratio of around 7%. He said the resulting surface performs better in waterlogged conditions and is less prone to damage caused by still water, a common factor behind premature deterioration of rural roads during and after the monsoon.

Rural development and transport minister Shravan Kumar said the programme is intended to support environmental protection and sustainable infrastructure development. He said the focus is on strengthening roads in waterlogged areas while also reducing pollution by ensuring better collection and disposal of single-use plastic.

Officials said the state plans to expand the model to additional districts in the coming period, scaling up both plastic processing capacity and its use in rural road works.