Plastic Waste Can Help Build Stronger, Longer-Lasting Streets

Plastic Roads: The Ingenious Idea from Nepal

Turning Trash into Roads

Longer-Lasting Streets

“The world population is growing up, so is the amount and types of waste.” This means we’re creating more garbage than ever before, and much of it doesn’t disappear quickly. That’s a problem for the earth, but clever people have found new ways to use this trash. One surprising solution is building roads out of waste plastics.

“One person’s trash can be another person’s treasure.” If we look at garbage differently, we might find materials that can be reused to solve everyday problems.

Plastics are especially interesting. They can be mixed into road materials to make streets stronger and longer-lasting. In fact, plastics such as PET and PVC can be recycled and added into roads either as fillers or mixed with bitumen—the black, sticky stuff that holds roads together. If plastic melts at less than 338°F, it can be added to bitumen. If it melts at more than 338°F, it can be used as a filler.

Countries like India, the UK, the Netherlands, Ghana, Ethiopia, and South Africa are already experimenting with this idea. “The world’s first plastic road was constructed in Zwolle city of the Netherlands.” India alone has built more than 1,553 miles of plastic roads since 2002, and they’re still working well today!

From Trash to Roads: Nepal’s “Plastic Roads” Offer Solution to Waste Crisis | Planet Pulse | N18G

The process of building plastic roads can be done in two main ways. In the dry process, shredded plastic is added to hot rocks (called aggregates) before mixing with bitumen. The hot plastic melts and coats the rocks, making them stronger. In the wet process, powdered plastic is mixed directly into hot bitumen before it’s combined with aggregates.

Both methods create roads that last much longer than normal asphalt ones. A regular road may last 4–5 years, while a plastic road can last up to 10 years. “Rainwater will not seep through because of the plastic in the tar.” That means fewer potholes and less flooding damage.

Even though making plastic roads costs a little more, the benefits are huge: fewer repairs, less waste, and longer-lasting roads. Each mile of road uses over two tons of recycled plastic, helping to clean up our planet.

For a country like Nepal, where summers can reach over 113°F and heavy rains often destroy roads, plastic roads could be a game-changer. “Plastic roads would be a boon for Nepal Terai’s hot and extremely humid climate, where temperatures frequently cross 113°F and torrential rains create havoc, leaving most of the roads with big potholes.”

Turning plastic waste into roads is brilliant! Not only does it recycle trash, but it also makes roads stronger, lasts longer, and saves money in the long run. If more countries use this idea, we might solve two problems at once: too much plastic waste and weak roads.

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