I’m sure all of us are well aware of the dangers of plastic. It is taking over the world in all the wrong ways, including polluting our land and seas. The worst part of plastic is not the fact that it is polluting the earth, it is the fact that it takes many, many years to break down under normal circumstances. People have tried to clean things up on their own but they tend to fall short of the mark.
That may be changing, however, thanks to a company out of the UK. They have their own idea of how to use those old plastic bottles and it has to do with the roads where we drive our cars. MacRebur came up with a way to turn plastic waste into asphalt. Not only is it a great solution, but it is also more durable and can last a lot longer than a standard asphalt road. Take a look at how it is done and what they are doing:
When Toby McCartney, CEO of the company was working in Southern India with a charity he had an idea. The work was with landfill pickers and part of the plastic they collected was melted down and turned into filler for potholes.
The new technology created an upgraded form of asphalt that extends the lifespan of the material. In addition, it lowers the carbon footprint by reducing how much fossil fuel is being used in the process.
In a nutshell, the blend the granulated plastic waste and put it in with an asphalt concrete formula that is typically used to make roads.
The type of plastic they use is specific. It must be labeled as waste, so no plastic that is new or recycled can be used. The plastic that is used in the asphalt must melt at a specific temperature.
Some plastic can’t be used but most of it can. That includes the difficult to recycle black plastic. Not only is it an effective way to make asphalt, it is also much cheaper than the old technique. After all, they use waste that would otherwise be thrown into the dump.
When the plastic road is put down it looks like regular asphalt but it is more flexible. As the road continued to experience heat and cold it will have less damage because of the elements. In addition, since they are an enhanced form of asphalt they tend to last 3 times longer and are 60% stronger. That reduces cracks and potholes.
Not only can it be used on roads, but it can also be used on driveways, airport runways and in parking lots.
It’s nice to know that we still have options that will help to save the planet. It’s never too late to start.
Source: Bright Side