Coca-Cola Pakistan has partnered with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and local startups to re-carpet national roads with plastic waste as the company works towards creating a World Without Waste.
This mega-project – in which local startups TeamUp and the National Incubation Center (NIC) are also partners – involves re-carpeting of national roads with plastic waste.
Initially, a one-kilometer patch of road in the federal capital will be modeled as a proof-of-concept. Reportedly, over 10 tonnes of recycled plastic, including plastic/PET bottles will be used in re-carpeting the 1 km patch of road.
The joint-venture was finalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Coca-Cola, TeamUp/NIC, and Capital Development Authority on Tuesday, with an aim to create a ‘world without waste.’
Chairman CDA Amer Ali Ahmed was the Chief Guest at the MoU signing ceremony. Key stakeholders and partners like WWF, UNDP, CoRe, CCI, Packaging Alliance Members, and dignitaries from the media, civil and private sectors attended the ceremony.
Rana Shakeel Asghar, Member Finance and Environment Capital Development Authority signed the contract on behalf of CDA. He said environmental experts and relevant government officials discussed in detail the feasibility of the project before signing the MOU.
“We believe in a clean and green Pakistan, but we also believe in working with each other to create results expansively,” said Asghar commenting on the project.
Around 70 countries across the globe have already successfully practiced this innovative idea of re-carpeting roads with recycled plastic waste. However, this is the first time it will be tested in Pakistan. A road mixture recipe that suits the local environmental conditions of Pakistan will be used in the pilot project.
Roads re-carpeted with plastic last almost twice as long and are 51% stronger than standard roads.
Vice President and General Manager of Coca-Cola Pakistan-Afghanistan, Fahad Ashraf, said the idea of plastic roads offers a sustainable solution to recycle plastic bottle waste.
“We also want to focus on building a community around the idea and the innovation itself. For any concept to be applied and adopted, the people must first believe in it. And it needs to make social and commercial sense,” said Ashraf.
TeamUp and NIC would help Coca-Cola to expand the innovative idea to other cities of the country through conferences, hackathons, white papers, and a coalition of partners.