Plastic waste from Kurseong, a hill station in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, is being used to build a brand-new road in Mirik Block of northern Bengal, the first such public thoroughfare within the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

The 4.420-km stretch, now under construction using 1,846.56 kg of plastic waste and generating revenue of Rs 55/kg, will connect Muktikhola waterfall to the quaint village of Noldara in Mirik, passing through a few more hamlets along the way.

It all started with the installation of an agglomerator machine at the plastic waste management unit at Gari Dhura, Kurseong Block, under the LIC-HFL Green Tomorrow Solid Waste Management Project in June this year.

With the help of this machine, the non-biodegradable plastic waste collected across Kurseong was first processed into reusable pellets, which were then utilised in the construction of the road.

The Kurseong Block Administration, in collaboration with state-level NGO Bitan Institute for Training, Awareness and Networking (BITAN) and in coordination with St Mary ’s-III and Sukna Gram Panchayat, has already completed 1.5 km of the total stretch.

According to the Kurseong Block Administration, the initiative is aimed not only at infrastructure development but also at strengthening local livelihoods, improving environmental safety, and reducing plastic pollution in hill and forest-adjacent areas.

Terming it a replicable and sustainable model for other blocks in the region, Koushik Chakraborty, Block Development Officer, Kurseong, said. “The successful operation of the plastic waste management and the utilisation of plastic pellets in road construction demonstrate how plastic waste can be effectively transformed into a valuable resource.”