India’s road-building agencies are increasingly using waste materials—such as steel slag, plastic waste, reclaimed asphalt, and fly ash—to construct national highways, signalling a shift toward circular-economy infrastructure. India’s highway network is reported to be the world’s second-largest (6.6 million km), and integrating waste into construction is helping reduce reliance on virgin aggregates while cutting emissions.
A six-lane road in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh is being rebuilt using steel slag from a major steel plant, demonstrating industrial by-product reuse at scale. NHAI’s latest sustainability report indicates the use of 631 lakh metric tonnes of recycled materials and a reduction in GHG intensity from 1.0 to 0.8 MTCO₂e/km, marking measurable environmental gains.
The article notes that adding 1.5%–2% plastic waste into bitumen mixes can improve durability and divert large amounts of waste from landfills. It also highlights potential use of agri-residues like paddy straw, which could reduce open burning if supply chains are formalised.
This transition aligns with India’s Green Highways Policy, circular-economy goals, and road-sector decarbonisation under national climate strategy. It demonstrates how large infrastructure programmes such as Bharatmala can integrate waste-to-resource pathways, reduce embodied emissions, and address waste-management challenges simultaneously.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
What standards, supply-chain systems, and quality-control mechanisms are needed to scale the use of industrial and plastic waste across national and state highway projects without compromising durability or safety?
Follow the full news here: NHAI Integrates Industrial and Plastic Waste to Reduce Emissions
