Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province launches initiative to use plastic mixed asphalt in road paving
Sri Lanka’s Easter Province has reportedly launched an initiative to provide a sustainable solution to the increasing waste plastics by using green technology to convert waste plastics into an industrial raw material that is used as an additive to asphalt used for road paving work within the Province.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for this initiative was signed by Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province Chief Secretary Thusitha P. Wanigasinghe and AGC Innovate Ltd. MD/CTO Dr. Judith Samaranayaka, at the Eastern Province Governor’s Office in Trincomalee.
The Eastern Province Governor’s Office is to provide the waste plastic for the project by virtue of the tonnage collected daily by the Pradeshiya Sabhas from households and industries while the Provincial Road Development Department represents the end user with AGC Innovate being the third party in the model as the Technology Provider.
The technology was piloted in 2018 under the supervision of the national regulator, Road Development Authority (RDA), on a stretch of highway in the Colombo District that was certified as an environmentally suitable initiative following two years of rigorous testing and observation.
The Eastern Province Governor has said at the ceremonial event that she endorses the adoption of this technology as it is the most logical solution for the waste plastic menace by delivering a cleaner environment, reducing the carbon footprint, saving of forex on bitumen replacement and promoting community participation in waste plastic segregation.
OSL take:
The ongoing aggressive development programme launched by Sri Lanka has expanded business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. In the process, Sri Lanka is also exploring new technologies and mechanisms to further improve the country’s development agenda while meeting the sustainable development goals. Sri Lanka is fast emerging as a business destination in the South Asian region. The country’s geographical positioning in the Indian Ocean and the many trade agreements as well as trade concessions enjoyed by the country have also helped boost Sri Lanka’s image. Foreign businesses/investors could therefore explore business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s ongoing development programme.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/18082021/Z_3 |