© 2021 JETIR September 2021, Volume 8, Issue 9 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) JETIRFB06028 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 209 UTILIZATION OF PLASTIC BAGS IN CONCRETE TO IMPROVE ITS PROPERTIES 1 Neha Thakur, 2 Dr.Vivek, 3 Karishma Chauhan 1 Assistant Professor, 2 Assistant Professor, 3 M.Tech Scholar 1 Department of Civil Engineering, 1 Gulzar Group of Institutions, Khanna, Ludhiana, Punjab, India 2 Jawaharlal Nehru Government Engineering College, Sundernagar, H.P, India 3 Chandigarh University, Kharar, Mohali,Punjab,India Abstract: Since 1950 to 2018, approximately 6.3 billion tones of plastic were manufactured worldwide, with 9% and 12% of that being recycled and burnt respectively. With the increase in population, the demand for plastic products has also increased which generate the plastic waste. Plastic waste not only hazardous to the human life but also adversely affects the environment. Annually, about 8 million tones of plastic are thrown into the water bodies, causing habitat degradation and eventually affecting aquatic animals. Long-term use and high-temperature exposure of plastic and plastic items can cause harmful chemical elements to leak into food, drinks, and water. There are different types of plastic generated every year. In this study plastic bags are used in concrete to improve the properties of concrete mix. Varying percentage of plastic i.e. 0%, 0.25%, 0.45%, 0.65%, 0.85%, 1.00% is added in the concrete mix and compressive strength test and split tensile strength was conducted on the specimen to check the properties of concrete. Key words – Plastic bags, Compressive strength, Split tensile strength, Plastic waste. 1. INTRODUCTION Waste has become a global issue that must be tackled in order to resolve the world’s resources and energy issues. Every minute, one million plastic drinking bottles are buying around the world and 5 trillion plastic bags are used annually. Half of all plastic generated is intended to be used only once and then discarded. Land, water streams, and oceans can all be affected by plastic waste. Annually approximately 1.1 to 8.8 million tonnes of plastic garbage is expected to enter the water bodies from the people who live near to ocean. As of the end of 2013, it was predicted that 86 million tonnes of plastic marine debris had accumulated in the world’s oceans, based on the premise that 1.4 percent of global plastic generated from 1950 to 2013 had reached the ocean and gather there. According to some estimates, by 2050 there may be more plastic in the oceans than fish. A fresh report titled “Plastic and Climate” was released in 2019. According to this report, the manufacture and incineration of plastic will emit greenhouse gases i.e. 850 tonnes of carbon dioxide in environment in 2019.Annual emissions from these sources will reach 1.34 billion tonnes by 2030 if current trends continue. Plastic might emit 56 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases by 2050, accounting for up to 14% of the plant’s remaining carbon budget. Plastic waste on land is dangerous to the plants, animals including humans. Plastic concentrations on land are found to be 4 to 23 times higher than in the water. The amount of plastic accumulating on land is larger and more concentrated than that found in water. Chlorinated plastic can emit hazardous chemicals into the soil, which can eventually mix into groundwater or other nearby water sources, affecting the global ecology. Animals and humans that drink the water may suffer catastrophic consequences as a result of this. 2. MATERIALS 2.1. Cement Ordinary Portland cement of 43 grades was used for this experimental work. Some tests were performed on cement to check the properties of cement as shown in Table 2.1.