Jakarta. Chemicals and infrastructure solutions firm Chandra Asri Group recently launched a showcase highlighting plastic asphalt roads in Bali.

The showcase was in partnership with the ASEAN Center of Excellence on Smart City (ASECH) and Jimbaran Hijau, which also served as the event’s venue. The showcase seeks to be a learning center aimed at expanding the use of plastic asphalt roads across the Indonesian archipelago. Stakeholders from other regions can also look at the use of low-value plastic waste in the asphalt mixture.

Chandra Asri also picked Bali to hold this event as it served as an international hub. Bali is also known to be a popular tourist destination and boasts many non-governmental organizations and communities that can help promote plastic asphalt road use.

Chandra Asri Group, in collaboration with various partners, has successfully built plastic asphalt roads spanning 120.8 kilometers. 

Its construction used 1,086 tons of low-value plastic waste on the island of Java. This initiative is expected to increase road durability by up to 40 percent and enable the government to save maintenance budgets. This should also enable the government to allocate the budget to other development needs. Plastic asphalt roads are also expected to unlock job opportunities in the waste processing and infrastructure industries. The public can also become more aware of the importance of sustainable waste management.

According to Edi Rivai, the director for legal, external affairs, and circular economy at Chandra Asri Group, the company --which sees itself as Indonesia’s growth partner”, vows to promote the plastic asphalt solution. 

“Having this showcase will enable city and district governments from various regions to learn more about this initiative and apply the plastic asphalt solution. This solution will not only help reduce the environmental burden but also assist in building a reliable and sustainable city infrastructure,” Edi said.

Plastic asphalt roads can also help pave the way towards a greener and more efficient smart city.

Yohannes Ronny, a senior official at the Public Works Ministry, said that plastic asphalt could absorb large amounts of low-value plastic material. Yohanes said: "In its application, it requires several tests in the laboratory, starting from the constraints and characteristics of the plastic which need to have their limitations in the mixing process.”

Fazri Putrantomo, a representative from the Environment Ministry, said that Indonesia sought to reduce marine plastic waste by 70 percent by 2025. Collaborations like this are necessary to achieve the target, according to Fazri.

Putu Agung Prianta, the chief executive officer of Jimbaran Hijau, welcomed the initiative.

“Through an integrative approach, government policies and regulations that support synergy between these parties can increase the effectiveness of sustainable infrastructure projects so that they can run as they should, as we see now in the Jimbaran Hijau area," Putu Agung said.