SD/recycled plastic

Editorial Team

FTI teams up with Alliance to end plastic waste, CMU to support innovative road development using recycled plastic waste to address environmental problems

The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) collaborated with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and Chiang Mai University (CMU) to announce a study on innovative road development using recycled plastic waste.

The study on road development innovation using recycled plastic waste aims to provide knowledge on how to take advantage of post-consumer plastics and transform them into a core material for building and strengthening asphalt roads.

In addition, it helps reduce environmental problems and waste volume by utilizing hard-to-recycle post-consumer plastic waste to become value added resources for sustainability.

Dr. Chakree Bamrungwong, principal advisor on Land Transport Economics, Ministry of Transport, said the ministry has a policy to develop an efficient multimodal transport network and incentives for travelers and transport operators to change the form of travel and transportation from cars to rails shortly. However, plastic waste utilization in road construction under the cooperation of many sectors will be another option for building a sustainable road in Thailand. The ministry would like to support this operation and cooperation to be appropriately adapted to the implementation of various projects of the ministry in the future.

Mr. Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of FTI said the agency plays a key role in pushing the recycled plastic road development project forward as it focuses on addressing the plastic waste problem and creating value added to post-consumer plastic products.

The recycled plastic road development project was initiated by the FTI’s member companies and alliances: SCG Chemicals (SCGC), Dow Thailand Group (DOW), AMATA, SC Asset and 7-Elevenwith support from the alliance to end plastic waste to help transform knowledge about using plastic waste for road pavements into action and to solve the environmental problems in a sustainable manner.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Pruk Aggarangsi, director of Energy Research and Development Institute-Nakornping, Chiang Mai University added Chiang Mai University has continuously collaborated with organizations in the public and private sectors on the recycled plastic road development project. The university has skilled personnel and relevant equipment in place in order to enhance the development of innovative roads using recycled plastic waste through research-based road development principles.

Mr. Veera Kwanloetchit, president of the Plastics Institute of Thailand and secretary for the PPP Plastics project, jointly announced the study results of the innovative development of recycled plastic roads and the progress of the second-phase recycled plastic road development project.

In addition, a seminar titled “1st-Phase Recycled Plastic Road Development Project” was held to discuss the achievements of the project and share knowledge about innovative road development using recycled plastic waste that can be adopted for future development.

The seminar is aimed relevant agencies, organizations and stakeholders to acknowledge the progress and all research results related to the first phase recycled plastic road development. They also shared the engineering research results and construction knowledge in order to help strengthen the roads made from recycled plastic waste mixed with asphalt. This not only helps with reducing problems associated with plastic waste management, but also reduces costs of road construction. Such road development practice will not lead to ensuing environmental issues.