A Dutch company, Volker Wessels, has come up with a design for roads made entirely from recycled plastic. These plastic roads have a long lifespan, are virtually maintenance free and are quick and easy to assemble and construct. They are the ideal sustainable alternative to conventional road structures.
The roads are made from recycled plastic which is made into prefabricated road parts that can be installed in one piece. The prefabrication and lightweight design make the construction of the roads much simpler and quicker.
The roads are stronger, more durable and unaffected by corrosion and weather. The design features a hollow space that can be used for cables, pipes and rainwater.
Plastic Roads in India
The technology for these roads was developed by the ‘Plastic Man’ of India, Prof Rajagopalan Vasudevan, Professor of Chemistry at Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai.
In November 2015 it was made mandatory in India for all road developers in the country to use waste plastic, combined with bituminous mixes, for road construction.
This is to help overcome the growing problem of plastic waste disposal in India.
The plastic roads are made from a mix of recycled plastics and bitumen. The first step in constructing them is to collect and manage the plastic material. The plastics involved consist mainly of common post-consumer products such as product packaging.
The construction process is extremely eco-friendly as no toxic gases are released. The use of plastic waste increases the strength of the road, reducing road fatigue. The roads are more durable as they are more weather resistant. As large amounts of plastic are required for a small stretch of road, plastic waste is substantially reduced. The process is easy and does not need any new machinery. The amount of bitumen used is reduced.
MacRebur in Scotland
There are 40 million kilometres of roads on the planet made from hundreds of millions of barrels of oil.
On a farm outside Lockerbie in Scotland, engineer Toby McCartney was pondering how to find a solution to two global problems:
- How to improve the poor quality of roads
- How to solve the global plastic waste problem
Inspired by his daughter and what he had seen in India, McCartney came up with the idea of using waste plastic added to an asphalt mix to create stronger, longer lasting, pothole free roads.
Normally roads consist of about 90 percent rocks, limestone and sand combined with up to 10 percent bitumen to bind the mixture. Bitumen is extracted from crude oil.
To read the full story, visit kormorant.co.za/40766/enviro-monday-plastic-roads-help-shrink-ever-increasing-plastic-problem/