Hvpe.docx

Human Values And Professional Ethics-II

-WASTE MANAGEMENT  Roads made up of waste(plastic)  Engineer’s role

Submitted by: Aastha Khanna(00113302815) Harendra Roy(01913302815) Dev Bhatia(01913302815) Bhavya Pachnanda(35313302815) Yogita(36213302815) ECE-8A

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Plastic Roads Why plastic roads? Role of Engineer Waste Plastic Epidemic Layers in a road Plastic Man of India Can plastic roads help save the planet? Solution India’s Initiative Other Places of Interest Procedure Engineer’s role towards nature Managing plastic waste requires holistic approach Safety and risks How plastic became a massive pollutant? Engineer’s Role towards nature Managing plastic waste require hollistic approach Safety and Risks

PLASTIC ROADS Plastic roads are made entirely of plastic or of composites of plastic with other materials. Plastic roads are different from standard roads in the respect that standard roads are made from asphalt concrete, which consists of mineral aggregates and asphalt. Currently, there are no records of regular roads made purely of plastic. Plastic composite roads, however, have existed and demonstrate characteristics superior to regular asphalt concrete roads; specifically, they show better wear resistance. The implementation of plastics in roads also opens a new option for recycling post consumer plastics. Australia, Indonesia, India, United States, The UK, and many other countries have used technology which can incorporate plastic waste into an asphalt mix.

WHY PLASTIC ROADS? Plastic roads can be used to solve two world problems: First, the condition of the roads and second, the waste plastic epidemic. 1.

BAD ROADS IN INDIA

India is said to be the fastest developing countries today only after China. India's road network is gigantic and said to be only after the United States of America. But one of the striking underlying facts is the condition of the roads. Since roads indirectly contribute to the economic growth of the country it is extremely essential that the roads are well laid out and strong. India is home to several bad roads be it the metropolitans, the cities or the villages. Bad road conditions are nothing new to India and the problem is being addressed since the last 30 years. 1.1. CHALLENGES FACED a) India has Poor Quality Roads and Highways Although India is home to over fifty national highways the sad state of affairs is that most national highways are just two lanes or even lesser. The design of the highways is a matter of great importance since only properly designed highways can withstand the pressure created by heavy vehicles. Apart from being narrow they are also highly congested since quite a large part of India's freight is carried on these highways.

b) Rural Areas have Bad Roads India is home to quite a large rural population. Most of the rural areas in India do not have access to all weather roads and hence have a tough time during the monsoons. This problem is more significant in the northern and northeastern part of the country. The government in its 11th five year plan has allotted Rs 100,000 crore for the construction and maintenance of roads in villages. c) Urban Areas are Severely Congested Traffic is one common problem in most of the metropolitans today. Cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata are extremely congested during office hours. This is mainly because of industrialization and the sudden rise in vehicle ownership over the last few years. If India wants to be in tandem with the growing traffic, the government will need to construct around 15,000 km expressways in the next ten years 1.2 ROLE OF ENGINEERS There are various responsibilities and duties of engineers during the construction as well as the maintenance of the roads. For this we have different engineers to help at every phase eg.:Building services engineer, Traffic/ highways engineer, Planning engineer, Site engineer, etc. CIVIL ENGINEER: Designs, plans and oversees construction projects such as railways and roads. 

Undertake technical and feasibility studies including site investigations

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Use a range of computer packages for developing detailed designs

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Undertake complex and repetitive calculations

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Liaise with clients and a variety of professionals including architects and subcontractors

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Compile job specs and supervising tendering procedures

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Resolve design and development problems

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Manage budgets and project resources

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Schedule material and equipment purchases and delivery

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Ensure projects run smoothly and structures are completed within budget and on time

a) Building services engineer  Designing layouts and requirements for building services for residential or commercial developments.  Visiting sites, meeting clients and working with other professional sengineers, architects and surveyors.  Supervising the construction of the building services, commissioning systems and on-going maintenance and operation of services.  Developing new energy saving methods for construction, designing new and improved energy conservation systems for buildings. b) Traffic/ highways engineer  Developing solutions to problems.  Drawing up designs, technical diagrams and writing reports.  Ensuring air and noise pollution created by transport systems is minimised.  Supervising builds.  Consulting with technicians, surveyors, engineers, and other team members.  Ensuring projects uphold safety procedures.  Analysing current improvements. c) Planning Engineer  Deciding on the most appropriate engineering techniques and sequences of activities for each project stage.  Drawing plans; using specialised design software packages.  Ensuring plans meet the client’s specifications.  Making estimations for timescales and costs.  Supervising the project at all stages and providing solutions to problems.  Collaborating with site managers, surveyors, engineers, site worker and other professionals.  Organising the transportation of materials.  Ensuring procedures are carried out safely.

d) Site engineer A site engineer offers advice in the planning, co-ordination and supervision of technical aspects of construction projects. A site engineer’s role is vital to a construction project: they have a number of responsibilities including solving technical issues, providing advice, management and preparing reports.

2. WASTE PLASTIC EPIDEMIC Plastic is cheap and incredibly versatile with properties that make it ideal for many applications. However, these qualities have also resulted in it becoming an environmental issue. We have developed a “disposable” lifestyle and estimates are that around 50% of plastic is used just once and thrown away. Plastic is a valuable resource and plastic pollution is an unnecessary and unsustainable waste of that resource.

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Packaging is the largest end use market segment accounting for just over 40% of total plastic usage.

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Annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute.

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A plastic bag has an average “working life” of 15 minutes.

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Over the last ten years we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century.

ROLE OF ENGINEERS Engineers work towards solutions for safe, effective waste management through the implementation of specialist recycling and processing strategies. Waste can also be used to provide alternative sources of power, if managed properly. Engineering is vital to the process of understanding how these strategies can be utilised to their fullest effect. Engineering can and has been used to create the following waste management solutions: 

Treatment Technologies – Research into new waste treatments involves both biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. Treatments are designed to keep waste out of landfills and make it safer for transport, storage and repurposing.

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Recycling and Re-purposing – Many types of waste can be reused; as construction materials, for example. Civil engineering designs and carries out research into new types of waste recycling, as well as creating new technologies and facilities for implementation.

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Facilities and Systems – Civil engineers are instrumental when thinking about designing things like drainage systems or waste processing plants. They are able to oversee the project from start to finish; creating new solutions for waste management then creating facilities in which these solutions can be effectively implemented.

CORRECT WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR BUSINESSES Business waste management differs from that of household waste management. Companies are under a strict obligation to dispose of their waste correctly and according to government legislation. Waste disposal companies who specialise in managing business waste are also required to operate under these guidelines, which is why all companies which choose to employ the services of an outside waste disposal company are advised to obtain written proof of their waste collection – usually in the form of a receipt.

LAYERS IN A ROAD A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places that has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by foot or some form of conveyance, including a motor vehicle, cart, bicycle, or horse. Roads consist of one or two roadways (British English: carriageways), each with one or more lanes and any associated sidewalks (British English: pavement) and road verges. There is sometimes a bike path. Other names for roads include parkways, avenues, freeways, tollways, interstates, highways, or primary, secondary, and tertiary local roads.

PLASTIC ROADS These roads are made from recycled plastics, and the first step in constructing them is to collect and manage the plastic material. The plastics involved in building these roads consists mainly of common post-consumer products such as product packaging. Some of the most common plastics used in packaging are poly ethylene terephthalate , polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), and high and low density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE). These materials are first sorted from plastic waste. After sorting, the material is cleaned, dried, and shredded. The shredded plastic is mixed and melted at around 170°C.Hot bitumen is then added and mixed with the melted plastic. After mixing the mixture is laid as one would with regular asphalt concrete.

Pros  

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In the proposed model by Volkerwessels, plastic roads can have hollow space built in to allow ease of wiring, connecting pipes, etc.[10] Heating and power generation can be incorporated into plastic roads. Heating can prevent roads from freezing; it can also help evaporate water from the surface.[2] Since plastics come with various chemical and physical properties, roads can be engineered to meet specific requirements (e.g. weather and wear resistance)

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Pure plastic roads require use of compatible plastics because, when melted, plastics of different types may phase-separate and cause structural weaknesses, which can lead to premature failure.

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Plastics in the road can break down into microplastics and can find their way into the soil and waterways. These microplastics can also absorb other pollutants.

PLASTIC MAN OF INDIA Where on one hand there are governmental organisations and NGOs fighting for the reduction of such consumption, there is a single person in Madurai who believes that plastic is a gift of God and has the power to be a wonderful resource – and he’s managed to prove the same too.

Rajagopalan Vasudevan is responsible for laying down more than 5,000km worth of plastic roads in at least 11 states across the country. Popularly known as the Plastic Man of India, Vasudevan is actually a chemistry professor from Madurai who invented a ground-breaking technology that helps in creating roads by reusing plastic wastes. Pollutant free and completely ec0-friendly, Vasudevan’s technology is a perfect example of Jugaad or ‘frugal innovation’. Where the government normally spends millions for building stable roads for the monsoon, this technology is not only cost efficient but also environment friendly. Additionally, the maintenance costs are also lower compared to other roads. These roads are then designed in a manner that they can accommodate pipelines inside them as they are hollow. Moreover Vasudevan has stated that his technology needs no interference from strong machineries as they are supposed to be created in warehouses and then installed onto pathways directly, thus reducing onsite production costs.

VALUES SHOWN BY RAJAGOPALAN VASUDEVAN – THE PLASTIC MAN OF INDIA  RIGHT CONDUCT: Rajagopalan Vasudevan not only recognized the nation’s problem but also found a new and a cost effective way of fighting off plastic pollution by constructing roads.  ETHICAL LIVING: it is everyone’s responsibility to take care of their surrounding in order to live peacefully and hence RajagopalanVasudevan, by making plastic roads has set an example of ethical living.  RESPONSIBILITY: Rajagopalan Vasudevan acted as a responsible citizen by helping the government in eliminating plastic waste.  ACCOUNTABILITY: Rajagopalan Vasudevan held himself accountable and implemented the idea of plastic roads rather than shifting the blame on others as well as the government.  LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE: The actions of The Plastic Man of India is an exemplary example of living in harmony with nature.

CAN PLASTIC ROADS HELP SAVE THE PLANET? What if the plastic we dispose of could be turned into roads? There are 40 million kilometres of roads in the world which are made using hundreds of millions of barrels of oil. Would it be better to use waste plastic? Engineer’s idea of: HOW COULD WE SOLVE TWO WORLD PROBLEMS? 1. The poor quality of roads we drive on. 2. The waste plastic epidemic. How do these problems affect are way of living: 1. The poor quality of roads we drive on: Although India is home to over fifty national highways the sad state of affairs is that most national highways are just two lanes or even lesser. The design of the highways is a matter of great importance since only properly designed highways can withstand the pressure created by heavy vehicles. Apart from being narrow they are also highly congested since quite a large part of India's freight is carried on these highways.

Potholes are the biggest problem, causing billions of pounds worth of tyre, wheel rim and suspension damage each year. But tar overbanding, poor drainage, obscured road signs, insufficient lighting, worn surfaces and diesel spills are all potential hazard 2. The waste plastic epidemic: The world produces approximately 300 million tons of plastics each year, and that number is only increasing. Furthermore, 22% to 43% of the plastic used worldwide is disposed of in landfills, according to the United Nations Environmental Program. With the rise in popularity of online ordering and takeaway or delivery services, the future of plastic waste — from consumption to disposal — faces a growing problem, with few sustainable solutions on the table at the moment.

Environmental impact of plastic waste: One of the most pressing concerns toward plastic waste is its effect on water quality and marine life. Pollution issues don’t end with smog, after all. Our waterways and oceans, reservoirs of the economy, trade, and food, also host metric tons of plastic waste India generates 5.6 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, and the country accounts for 60 percent of plastic waste dumped into the world’s oceans every year, estimates suggest. Three of the world’s ten rivers which carry 90 percent of plastic to the world’s oceans are in India–the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.

SOLUTION: We can use waste plastics to add in the asphalt mix, say if we need 10 tonnes of bitumen to construct 1 km road then instead of using 10 tonnes of bitumen we can use 9 tonnes of bitumen with 1 tonne of plastic.1 tonne of plastic can include upto 10 lakhs plastic bags and the best part about this is that plastic can be collected from garbage and in india or even outside we have endless amount of plastic that needs to be treated for the betterment of environment. These roads are made from recycled plastics, and the first step in constructing them is to collect and manage the plastic material. Normally roads comprise around 90% rocks, limestone, sand and bitumen to bind it.Bitumen is extracted from crude oil and sold by the likes of shell and total .The pellets replace a significant part of the bitumen. Pellets can be made fro household waste but also commercial waste which we can get in bundles daily.This waste currently goes to landfill or is incinerated. The plasic waste is processed into millions of pellets. At the asphalt plant,bags of pellets are mixed with quarried rock and some bitumen

Other Places of Interest Roads are not the only things that can be constructed using plastics there are many areas that can be worked upon say houses though these come at a price higher than the normal houses but they come with many benefits, like they do not get hot with summers or cool down in winters like normal houses behave. The biggest benefit of all these houses is thatb help in decreasing the unending plastic waste flow which is actually a blessing in disguise which needs to be identified and looked upon by government. Government should encourage this waste management technique by employing engineers in areas that demand these types of construction.

For example: this was the house which was constructed with the help of plasic in Cundinamarca

Instead of using brand new plastic, they decided to give plastic that has already been thrown away a second chance at life, keeping in mind that on average it takes 300 years for it to completely degrade. "Working with new plastic is simple," explained Óscar Méndez to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, "because there are defined parameters, but used (plastic) requires more experimentation.” The base material they work with is obtained from popular recyclers and factories that discard tons of plastic daily. Using an extrusion process, the plastic is melted and emptied into a final mould, creating a three-kilo brick (6.6 lbs), similar to clay ones with the same dimensions. When assembled under pressure, the bricks insulate heat and have additives that retard combustion. Additionally, they are thermoacoustic and earthquake-resistance is up to code for Colombia, taking into account the country’s high levels of seismic activity. India has built one lakh kilometres of roads in at least 11 states using discarded plastic. The revolution of plastic waste roads started brewing in 2015 when the Centre made it mandatory for all road developers in the country to use plastic waste for road construction after Padma Sri RajagopalanVasudevan, aa chemistry professor from Madurai’s Thiagarajar College of Engineering, laid out a process of building roads by recycling plastic waste. This initiative falls in line with government’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan that aims to address India’s garbage crisis.

Roads From Waste Plastic: PROCEDURE:While layering roads with plastic waste may seem like a complicated, costly and time consuming affair, the reality is quite the opposite. The civic bodies (municipal corporations) of each city are required to gather all the city’s plastic waste andsent them to plastic collecting centers where they are put onto three tasks – cleaning, drying and shredding. The plastic waste can include anything from sweet wrappers to shopping bags.Some of the most common plastics used in packaging are polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), and high and low density polyethylene. These materials are first sorted from plastic waste. After sorting,all the plastic waste is shredded (a technique where all the dust particles are eliminated and plastic items are shredded into fine pieces). The shredded plastic is mixed and melted at around 170°C. Hot bitumen is then added and mixed with the melted plastic. Depending on the quality of tar, a 10-30 per cent of it is replaced with the waste plastic. Since both, tar and plastic are petroleum products they gel well together. After mixing, the mixture is laid as one would with regular asphalt concrete and thus are used to construct roads. The entire process of building roads via waste plastic is quite simple. No new machinery is required to produce the plastic-bitumen mix and the maintenance cost of the road is almost nil. The process of shredding takes place at a bare minimum cost. Adding flexible materials to tar strengthens the road and make it much more durable. Chennai Chennai is one of the first and leading cities in India to implement professor Vasudevan’s technology. The city has, so far, used 1,60, 000 (1.6 Lakh) kilos of plastic waste to build 1.035 kilometres of roads. Prominent areas in the city like the N.S.C Bose road, Halls road, EthirajSilaistreet and Sardar Patel street are layered with plastic components. Jambulingam Street, Chennai, is one of the first road to be build using such methodology. The tar road in the bustling Nungambakkam area has weathered a major flood, several monsoons, recurring heat waves and a steady stream of cars, trucks and auto rickshaws without showing the usual signs of wear and tear. Built in 2002, it has not developed the mosaic of cracks, potholes or craters that typically make their appearance after it rains. Holding the road together is an unremarkable material: cheap, polymer glue made from shredded waste plastic. In the last two years, the state rural development department had proposed 1,255 km long roads using plastic waste at a cost of Rs 153.5 crore. While 1,002 km roads have completed, the rest is expected to be completed soon. In the urban areas too, 1,065 km long plastic

roads were planned and works are under various stages of completion. Government sources said self help groups were engaged in various parts of the state to shred plastic waste collected from local bodies. INDORE Two-time winner of India’s cleanest city title, Indore recycles 100 per cent of its plastic waste and has used 5,000 kilos of waste plastic to build 45 kilometre stretch of roads in the last two years.In terms of economics, the plastic layered roads are cost effective. Indore Municipal Corporation saves upto Rs. 2,500 every time it uses thousand kilos of plastic waste to build roads. MAHARASTRA Maharashtra’s Pune city is also silently putting its plastic waste to use. The city, which generates over 200 tonnes of plastic waste per day, has used 3,343 kilos of plastic waste in building 1,430 kilometres of roads in the last two years. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) tied up with the Rudra Environmental Solution (India) Ltd and gave them a contract of building plastic roads across the city. Plastic helps in increasing the durability and flow of roads. It will take atleast 2 years for the plastic roads to get more durable and the cost is expected to come down to Rs. 30,000-40, 000 SURAT Surat finally heaved a sigh of relief during monsoons last yearby executingthe idea of using plastic-bitumen mix in January 2017. The problem of potholes significantly reduced as no cracks developed in areas where roads were layered with waste plastic. The diamond city has used 90,000 kilos of waste plastic to layer 15.91 kilometres of roads. The SMC is currently working on a design where they would be able to increase the volume plastic waste and decrease bitumen in the mix. This new design will hope to achieve two things – help the environment and make road construction process cost-effective. MEGHALYA The same technology was incorporated by Nongkynjang village Nongstoin, West Khasi Hills. The local administration gathered all the plastic waste from the village. This is the first time such a technology was implemented by a district administration in North East. They consumed 470 kilos of plastic waste like polythene carry bags, plastic cups, chips packets, foam packaging etc for one kilometre. Not just waste plastic from Nongstointhey imported plastic from Shillong which could have otherwise littered theroads.The project was undertaken in collaboration with MGNREGA and Meghalaya Livelihoods and

Access to Markets Projects (Megha-LAMP), proved to be very cost effective. Built with only ₹33 lakh for a km this is the most cost effective road one can hope to get. The finesse and the finishing of such roads are as good as any national highway. JAMSHEDPUR Jamshedpur Utility and Services Company, JUSCO, a 100 per cent subsidiary company of Tata Steel which maintains and provides municipal services in Tata command area of the city, has constructed 12-15 kms road in the steel city as well as Tata Steel Works besides widening 22 roads using the environmentfriendly technology of utilising waste plastic.The use of bitumen has been reduced by 7 per cent ever since JUSCO began using waste plastic in road construction work,adding the quality and longevity of roads made of waste plastic-aggregate-bitumen was two times better than bitumen road.

How plastic became such a massive pollutant? Plastic is not the problem, it's what you choose to do with plastic that's the problem. We should be thankful to our ancestors that they didn’t have plastic in their time, otherwise Instead of vintage pickle jars they would have passed on some fancy plastic containers. The miracle material has made modern life possible. But more than 40 percent of it is used just once, and it’s choking our waterways. None of us realised when plastic became such an important part of our life. This isn’t a problem where we don’t know what the solution is, We know how to pick up garbage. Anyone can do it. We know how to dispose of it. We know how to recycle. It’s just that people don’t want to do it more often,we want to get everything done without moving from a place. This isn’t what humans were meant for. But the modernisation and lack of basic understing about human and nature’s give and take relation has caused us a lot. Everyone asks only one question,But can society function without plastics? And are there some plastics worth keeping? Plastic's inanimate, so it can't be bad, it's what people do with it that's bad, The reason that we have plastic leaking out of landfill and into the sea is because there's a collusion between packaging manufacturers and consumers to use single use plastic because it makes the bottom line better for producers and makes products cheaper for consumers. Again the whole thing comes in our hand that What we do with plastic changes everything. If we keep aside our profit hounding mind aside and make things out of plastic that can be used for a long time then the current situation can change for the better. The notion that earth Is our home and everthing and we are responsible for it can change alot.

What our carelesness and greed has done to environment. 1.Plastic waste is littering our oceans and threatening the lives of millions of marine animals. Seals, whales, dolphins, seabirds, fish, crabs and many other sea animals are dying and becoming sick because of this deadly environmental concern. Microplastics are a major part of the issue. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic which come from larger plastics that have degraded over time. Sea animals often eat microplastics because of their small size. And plastic contains toxic chemicals, which can increase the chance of disease and affect reproduction. After ingesting microplastics, seals, and other animals, may suffer for months or years before they die. In 2014, an estimated 15 to 51 trillion microplastic particles were floating in the world’s oceans, weighing between 93,000 and 236,000 tonnes.

2. Garbage pile set to match Qutub Minar’s height. According to government data, the garbage pile had reached 60 metres at the time of last year’s accident as against the prescribed limit of 20 metres. On Thursday, a senior official from the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) said that the height of the garbage mound was now 65 metres. “It is gaining height rather than losing because we have no alternatives to dispose of tonnes of garbage generated from east Delhi every day. Also, we are running under severe financial crisis and thus can’t afford to invest on new projects,” said Pradeep Khandelwal, chief engineer at EDMC’s department of environment management services.

This would have never happened if instead of throwing away our waste we would have used some of it.

This heap costs a lot more than just land,it takes away good air,odour and health. A playground could have been made on this land or a school which would have benifitted everyone.

3. High level of toxins in ground water. Higher concentration of heavy metals like copper, lead, cadmium, nickel and chromium in the underground water samples throught the world. Recently in new delhi few factories too were sealed as these factories polluted the ground water below it. Resulting in higher lead concentrations. Young children, infants, and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to lead because the physical and behavioral effects of lead occur at lower exposure levels in children than in adults. A dose of lead that would have little effect on an adult can have a significant effect on a child. In children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities. The real questions is why all of these things happening?? The answer is simple,’’our greed and carelessness.” Things were pretty simple and good even without these many technical advancements. But while developing technology we lost out values,that our ancestors passed on to us. Which taught us to live in harmony with nature and take only as much is needed from the environment. But we did the opposite and took a too much from the nature and inreturn gave our pollution to it.

Engineer’s Responsibilities Towards Nature

With rising prosperity of millions of people around the globe, there is a concomitant increase in the pressures on planetary boundaries. There is a near consensus in the global community that sustainable prosperity on the planet is impossible without taking care of the environment and ecosystems. Plastics are an integral part of modern life. They are almost omnipresent – in our homes and offices, in our modes of transport, in our clothes, in our gadgets as well as packaging for what we eat. A part of this omnipresence is driven by the versatility of the material. Plastics have chemical and physical properties that allow them to be shaped for multiple uses. Engineers have a major role to play in designing proper systems that integrate stakeholders, waste system elements, and sustainability aspects of waste management. Codes of ethics for engineers state that they should hold paramount for the wellbeing, healthiness, and benefit of the community, more than other commitments to patrons and employers. Engineering and engineering societies have provided little guidance on prioritizing the community goods, with the exception in intense cases such as whistle-blowing. When an engineer finds an immediate threat to the safety of the community, the engineer ought to give notice to the concerned authorities. If this intimidation is not handled and run through within the concerned association, the engineers are expected either to raise the flag or blow the whistle.

Managing plastic waste requires a holistic approach According to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, approximately 50 million plastic bottles are used annually. Due to their non – biodegradable nature, plastics can stay in the environment long after they are disposed especially when shielded from direct sunlight either due to being buried in landfills, hidden in forests or under water. The issue of plastic waste management is also associated with the general poor state of solid waste management and the poor infrastructure. Waste management companies are unable to cope with the growing percentage of refuse generated by the increasing population in urban areas. A large part of our waste management problems is also due to poor public awareness and perception on plastic waste. An engineer has a key role to play in creating awareness and advocating for behaviour change which is the most effective way of addressing the menace. Through this one have an opportunity to educate others on the implications of plastic waste pollution on the environment, their health, and their livelihoods – a push for behaviour change.

Safety And Risks Since plastic roads are a relatively new idea, construction processes vary. So far, no large scale, systematic approach has been employed to build roads entirely of plastics. The plastic composite roads do not represent an ideal method, since the plastic is not exploited for all of its properties, which allow it to be formed into complex structure. Building roads entirely from plastic opens new possibilities in construction. Construction can be significantly more efficient, since roads can be created as individual pieces, which can be switched out in case of damage. This is different from traditional ways of road repair, which requires large amounts of time on site shaping asphalt to the desired shape. Pure plastic roads require use of compatible plastics because, when melted, plastics of different types may phase-separate and cause structural weaknesses, which can lead to premature failure. Plastics in the road can break down into micro plastics and can find their way into the soil and waterways. These micro plastics can also absorb other pollutants.

This necessitates engineers to put together the determined efforts in discovering all of the relevant facts pertaining to the design, development, operation and all achievable outcome of the choices available that may positively and negatively affect the society and the public. Citizens are entirely reliant on their premeditated products and goods that should be robust, safe, reliable, economically feasible and environmentally sustainable.