Experimental study on the effectiveness of using plastic waste in road construction

Abstract

Plastic in different forms are found to be almost 5% in municipal solid waste, which is toxic in nature. Due to its non-biodegradability, it creates stagnation of water and associated hygiene problems. In order to find a solution to this problem experiments have been carried out whether this waste plastic can be reused productively in the construction of roads. This paper deals with an experimental study on the effect of plastic on soil properties. The experimental study includes Sieve analysis test, the effect of plastic on Maximum Dry Density and Optimum Moisture Content using Proctor compaction test, California Bearing Ratio(CBR)test, Permeability test. The tests are conducted on soil by adding varying percentage of plastic and without adding it and comparing those results. The experiment reveals that properties of the soil do not change considerably. The proposed technique can be used as an effective method to dispose the waste plastic.