THE PROBLEM

The vast majority of plastic waste produced around the world is not recycled, but rather incinerated, landfilled or discarded in nature. With a rapidly growing supply of plastic waste, reuse options that turn waste into resources is desperately needed in order to effectively manage the waste stream.

THE SOLUTION

KWS, a VolkerWessels company, Wavin and Total are working on the development of plastic roads, also known as the PlasticRoad. Every component of the PlasticRoad is being designed to make its application completely circular, with the goal of using recycled plastic as much as possible. Imagine that constructing a road would take days instead of months. That roads would last three times as long. That maintenance and traffic disruption are things of the past. And that cable and piping problems as well as the urban water problem are solved overnight.

The PlasticRoad concept consists of a prefabricated, modular and hollow road structure based on (recycled) plastics. The prefabricated production, the light weight and the modular design of the PlasticRoad make construction and maintenance faster, simpler and more efficient compared to traditional road structures.

The PlasticRoad has a hollow space that can be used to (temporarily) store water, thus preventing flooding during extreme precipitation. The hollow space can also be used for the transit of cables and pipes, thus preventing excavation damages. And there are numerous other conceivable applications, including the installation of sensors or the electric charging of vehicles.

The PlasticRoad is a completely circular product that is based on recycled plastics. It has a significantly smaller carbon footprint than traditional road structures thanks to the longer lifespan and the reduction of transport movements involved in its construction.

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

Other plastic road concepts are being developed and deployed around the world, including solutions developed by MacReber in the UK. In Jamshedpur, India, roads have been created from a mix of plastic and bitumen. In Indonesia roads have been built using a plastic-asphalt mix in many areas including Bali, Surabaya, Bekasi, Makassar, Solo, and Tangerang.

CASE STUDY EXAMPLES

The PlasticRoad partners launched their first PlasticRoad on September 11th 2018, a bike path of 30 meters in Zwolle (NL). The second pilot in Giethoorn (NL) was installed in November  2018.