In a world that is increasingly aware of the burgeoning surplus of plastic waste, some companies are searching for environmentally-conscious solutions.
KWS, the corporation featured in this video, has taken to creating roads with recycled plastic. These prefab, modular road pieces are expected to have a service life of 2 to 3 times that of traditional asphalt, while also being 4 times lighter and reducing the construction time of new roads by about 70 percent.
Another paving option including plastic would be plastic and asphalt composite roads. Plastic and asphalt composite roads wear better and have greater flexibility than their pure asphalt brethren, and they do not absorb water, which results in fewer maintenance needs over time. Moreover, they use a lot less asphalt, which is expensive and requires the use of petroleum. These composite roads can be put down with a lower working temperature, meaning that less VOCs and CO emissions are released into the air.
Is this the perfect solution for plastic waste? Of course not– any new technology requires time and testing to properly develop. But in time, it just might be.
