Can Plastic Roads Pave the Way to Sustainable Future?
We use roads in our daily lives to get us from point A to point B. Road infrastructures are a big part of our economic growth and development…but how does plastic roads sound?
With the rising problem of plastic pollution, the use of plastic waste for road construction has come to light. To some innovators, if you can’t destroy plastic pollution, reuse them. After all, this is one of the cores of sustainability — making the most of what we have so that future generations can utilize what we’ve created and relish.
How does it work?
It seems far fetched but chemistry has its way of creating roads made from our plastic wastes. For engineer; Toby McCartney, it starts with melting plastics, from diapers to plastic bottles. The road that leads to the right recipe wasn’t easy. McCartney and his colleagues tried about 600 various polymers before reaching something that works.
McCartney mixes plastic waste with asphalt (or bitumen, a thick liquid material commonly used for road constructions). He suggests a ratio of 20,000 plastic bottles or 70,000 plastic bags for every one ton of asphalt. This doesn’t seem too bad considering we have plenty of plastic waste on our planet.
A Growing Movement
India is one of the first countries, if not the first, to use plastic waste to build roads. Plastic roads are also making their way to European countries. What works in India is being adopted in places like the UK and the Netherlands.
Studies show plastic waste can last three times more than usual materials used for roads today. They produce lower transportation and labor costs. Moreover, they reduce flooding and incidences of potholes.
The Disadvantages
On the other hand, bitumen is needed for plastic waste to become the desired byproduct for road construction. Bitumen is a crude oil component that is reported to be harmful on marine ecosystem as well as human health. The partnership between plastic waste and bitumen would not solve our other pressing issues on the destructive effects of oil in our environment. It poses a challenge as to how we can eliminate the need for bitumen and any type of oil to create roads.
Burning plastic in the process of creating materials for road construction also releases persistent organic pollutants that are toxic in our atmosphere and our health. Persistent Organic Pollutants can travel very far and stay in the ocean and ice caps, eventually entering our food chain. Incinerators can also be faulty at times, which require a cautious approach when especially processing plastic materials.
Approach Plastic Roads with Caution
Plastic waste is not easily compostable and therefore will stay with us for many years. Meanwhile, our increasing number of road infrastructures all around the world is inevitable as we continue to achieve economic growth. So, it makes sense why engineers marvel at the thought of putting two things together that are here to stay.
But just like any innovation, this exciting possibility should be taken with precaution. Further research needs to be done to make sure we’re not up for negative consequences in the long run. More importantly, this doesn’t excuse us from phasing out our plastic consumption. We still need to be mindful of our daily plastic use and to continue putting pressure on corporations and government policies to develop eco-friendly alternatives to plastic.
This post was created by an amazing GREEN ZINE volunteer contributor, and opinions expressed may not represent the views of Greenpeace. If you are interested in volunteering as a GREEN ZINE contributor, visit this link.
