With the Tamil Nadu highways department planning to use waste plastic for road laying, the day may not be far off when there could be a greater demand for the material.

A pilot project to test the quality and durability of plastic roads, especially during the rainy season, is being undertaken, a top official of the highways department said.

Using the technology, developed by the Thiagaraja College of Engineering at Tiruparankunram, the department has planned to re-lay roads using bitumen mixed with waste plastic in Madurai [Images], Coimbatore, Chennai and Tirunelveli.

A small stretch where there is heavy traffic will be relaid using waste plastic-bitumen mixture in each pilot city. "If the roads prove to be a success, they will be extended to other parts," the official said.

While a normal 'highway quality' road lasts four to five years, Prof R Vasudevan, the brain behind the plastic road, claims plastic-bitumen roads can last up to 10 years.