Reuse of Non-Degradable Waste Pet Bottles for Ground Improvement

Abstract

Due to the rapid progress in technology globally, the use of polystyx like polyethylene bags, bottles, etc. is also increasing. Disposal of discarded plastic waste is a serious challenge because most of the plastic harmful gases emissions are mostly non-biodigradeable and improper to consume. Soil stabilization improves engineering properties of weak soil by controlled compact or by adding stabilizers such as cement and lime. However, in recent years, these IIIths have become increasingly expensive. This paper presents a detailed study of waste plastic behavior and application in the soil improvement. Experimental inspection on reinforced plastic soil shows that plastic can be used as an effective stabilizer to address the problem of waste disposal and to stabilize the weak soil. Plastic-reinforced soil displays the same features as fiber-reinforced soil. This study examines the effect of plastic bottle straps on silt sand through a series of compacting, direct curry and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests. These tests were taken with different percentage and different aspects ratio in terms of size. The results indicate a significant increase in the CBR value with the maximum dry unit weight, the strength parameters and the reinforcement of the plastic in the soil. The degree of improvement in the soil properties depends on the type of soil, plastic material and the size of the bar. Studies have concluded that the optimal improvement in the engineering properties of Silte sand is achieved on 0.4% plastic material with a bar of 15 mm × 15 mm.

Introduction

This project investigates the use of recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles as reinforcement material for soil improvement, aiming to enhance soil stability and address plastic waste disposal. PET strips of varying sizes and proportions (2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% by weight) were mixed with clay soil and tested primarily using California Bearing Ratio (CBR) and compaction tests.

Key findings include:

• PET strips improve the soil’s bearing capacity and compaction characteristics, with 4% PET content generally yielding the best results for increased dry density and CBR values.

• Higher PET content (6% and 8%) tends to reduce performance slightly, possibly due to disruption of soil cohesion.

• Two strip sizes (15×25 mm and 15×35 mm) were studied, with both showing similar trends.

• The use of PET strips as lightweight filler improves load distribution and reduces soil penetration under load, enhancing soil strength.

• This approach offers an economical and environmentally friendly ground improvement technique by recycling plastic waste and improving weak soils in construction.

The study concludes that integrating PET bottle strips at an optimal percentage (around 4%-6%) can effectively enhance soil properties, providing a sustainable solution for both soil stabilization and plastic waste management.

Conclusion

This study confirms that PET plastic bottle strips significantly enhance the engineering properties of silty sand. The optimal improvement occurs at 4% PET content, beyond which soil cohesion decreases. The use of PET bottle strips in soil stabilization provides a sustainable and economical solution for both waste disposal and ground improvement in civil engineering applications. This method offers an effective way to utilize plastic waste while improving soil properties, making it a viable option for construction and environmental management.

References

[1] Mohd Furkhan, Sufyan Syed, Maroof Ahmed, Mehraj Mohiuddin, \"Improving The Strength Of Soil By Using Plastic Bottles,\" 2020. [2] Tariq Saeed, Muhammad Usman Arshid, \"Soil Improvement Using Waste Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET),\" 2019. [3] S. Saravanan, B. Jose Ravindraraj, \"Soil Stabilization Using Raw Plastic Bottles,\" 2018. [4] Sumit Singh Sinwal, Ravishankar Rawat, Dikshant Bisht, Aryan Raj, \"Analysis of CBR value of Soil Reinforced with PET Bottles,\" 2021. [5] Murad Khan et al., \"Reuse of Non-Degradable Waste Polyethylene Bottles for Ground Improvement,\" 2022. [6] Improving The Strength Of Soil By Using Plastic Bottles Author: Mohd Furkhan, Sufyan Syed, Maroof Ahmed, Mehraj Mohiuddin [7] Soil Improvement Using Waste Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Author: Tariq Saeed andMuhammadUsmanArshid [8] Soil Stabiliisation Using Raw Plastic Bottles Author: S.Saravanan and B.JoseRavindraraj.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Prof. Dhumal M. S., Prof. Bedrekar A. Y., Pore Suhas Santosh, Lokhande Swapnil Dadasaheb, Gavade Prakash Ajinath, Kale Sarthak Baburao. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.