12 Countries Have Built Roads Out of Plastic – And They Can Perform As Well or Better Than Asphalt

[Michie]

Asphalt with the additive TonerPlas, made from mixed soft plastics, is used to resurface a roadway in Fremantle, Western Australia, in 2020/Close The Loop


This article first appeared in Yale Environment 360and is re-printed with permission.

A road running through Accra, Ghana’s capital, looks like any other blacktop. Yet what most drivers don’t realize is that the asphalt under them contains a slurry of used plastics—shredded and melted bags, bottles, and snack wraps—that otherwise were destined for a landfill.

The impetus for many similar road projects underway in Ghana was an ambitious plan announced by President Akufo-Addo in 2018. It calls for Ghanaians to strive for a circular model, to recycle and reuse as much plastic waste as they produce each year—roughly 1.1 million tons—by 2030.

Continued below.
12 Countries Have Built Roads Out of Plastic – And They Can Perform As Well or Better Than Asphalt

 

[Pavel Mosko]

That's cool. I grew up in the Mojave desert and we had some roads made out of "desert mix" which was some kind of reddish brown stone sand mix with used oil, that was cheaper to put down since it came locally, but it put more wear on your tires. Now if they can make good roads out of plastic that is great, that is way better than trying to bury it in a land fill, or burn it and having it pollute the atmosphere.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

I only want to know about the friction coefficient. If my tires don't grip the road as well, then I don't care if the road lasts, because I won't last.

 

[cow451]

Asphalt with the additive TonerPlas, made from mixed soft plastics, is used to resurface a roadway in Fremantle, Western Australia, in 2020/Close The Loop


This article first appeared in Yale Environment 360and is re-printed with permission.

A road running through Accra, Ghana’s capital, looks like any other blacktop. Yet what most drivers don’t realize is that the asphalt under them contains a slurry of used plastics—shredded and melted bags, bottles, and snack wraps—that otherwise were destined for a landfill.

The impetus for many similar road projects underway in Ghana was an ambitious plan announced by President Akufo-Addo in 2018. It calls for Ghanaians to strive for a circular model, to recycle and reuse as much plastic waste as they produce each year—roughly 1.1 million tons—by 2030.

Continued below.
12 Countries Have Built Roads Out of Plastic – And They Can Perform As Well or Better Than Asphalt

Asphalt can also be recycled.
Recycle Materials in the Highway Environment - User Guidelines for Waste and Byproduct Materials in Pavement Construction - FHWA-RD-97-148