Posted on 27th October 2015 by Hintons
Everyone knows that feeling of driving down a particularly neglected road and finding it full of potholes and bumps, making your journey a lot more uncomfortable than it should be. Well, now there may be a solution on the horizon, in the form of recycled plastic bottles!
Could recycled plastic roads spell the end of potholes?
It was founded by Dutch company, VolkerWessels who released plans to introduce a surface made up of recycled plastic. This seemingly crazy idea actually has a huge amount of benefits.
Firstly, it would make the process of replacing a damaged or even part-damaged road a lot easier than it is now. With it being lighter and more hollow than what is currently used, means that it would be a much simpler task to add pipelines and cables under the surface. This saves companies money and could present a quicker way of carrying out repairs and maintenance on roads – with the added bonus of not using any brand new materials either.
This reduction in maintenance will result in quick changes to the road surface when needed. Parts can be prefabricated so they are ready to be transported, which would result in less on-site construction and fewer labour costs. There really does appear to be an endless list of positives to this scheme, and with the city of Rotterdam being the first to trial this when it’s ready to go, we will soon be hearing about the next steps.
Given that previously, plastic has been a tough material to recycle, it appears that this idea is making real headway in reusing a material that is so widely found in our homes. The scheme has been compared to Lego, which uses small plastic bricks that slot together, and demonstrates how future roads may be constructed.
The first PlasticRoad planned to be built in Rotterdam in 3 years
For now, the idea is still in its planning stages, so don’t expect to come across any plastic road surfaces near where you live anytime soon. But as long as testing is successful and it’s proven to be safe, it could be something that’s implemented on a larger scale.
Every type of recycling is a help to the planet, and with so many ways to make a difference, it’s great to see huge steps towards both reusing an easily accessible material alongside creating smoother roads. There’s a big need to find alternative uses for surplus products, not just bottles, but also electrical equipment – which is where we come in.
Here at Danjo Skips, we recycle 90% of the waste we receive, repurposing old materials to ensure they don’t end up in landfill sites. Unwanted electrical equipment is brought to us for our Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling services, whereby we use specialist, government approved methods to ensure your unwanted items are recycled safely and go to the right place. If you’ve got any questions about what we do, or want to enquire about the services we can offer, get in touch today!