Strength and Deformation Characteristics of Subgrade Soil Stabilized with Plastic Covers

Plastic waste is one of the burning issues in the present scenario due to the harmful effects produced by it. The recycling of plastic releases toxic gases during the melting of plastic and the major portion of plastic waste ends up in landfill which results in the leaching of toxic substances to the soil. Soil stabilization is one of the effective ways for plastic waste management. This new technique can be productively used to meet the problems raised by plastic waste and also it is a good solution for the scarcity of good quality subgrade soil. This study investigated the possibility of utilizing plastic cover strips for the reinforcement of soils. The effect of variation in aspect ratio and thickness on strength characteristics is studied in this paper. The various thickness ranges used are 15 micron, 30 micron, and 45 micron and the aspect ratio used are 1 and 2. Unconfined compressive strength (UCC) tests are carried out with plastic contents of 0.1–0.7% and the optimum amount required is found out. Laboratory results obtained favorably suggest that shear strength increases up to an optimum value, with the increase in plastic content, and the longer and wider strips lead to strength reduction. Thus the use of plastic waste in subgrade soil not only improves its strength but also reduces the thickness of pavement layer.