Plastic has been all around us since its creation in 1907. Plastic has been critical to modern life, as we use them daily for many things.
The development of most of the lifesaving advances of modern time is possible due to the plastic. They are expensive and raised the standard of living and made material abundance more readily available.
Plastic also has its own disadvantages despite its role in the advancement of our society. Plastic has become a threat to our planet, including humans, flora and fauna, and the environment.
It has become a worldwide problem. Many experts want to find the best solution to plastic pollution.
A UK company, MacRebur, found a way to use old plastic bottles to improve the quality of roads in order to reduce the negative impact of plastic pollution on our planet. The asphalt is also cheaper and more durable.
Toby McCartney, the CEO has got the idea while he was working in Southern India. There, people melt the plastic and turn it into filler for the potholes.
The MacRebur asphalt boosts the lifespan of the material, and it is environment-friendly too as it reduces the carbon footprint by reducing the amount of fossil fuel used in the manufacturing process.
This asphalt can be made with many kinds of plastic including black plastic, the most difficult one to recycle.
McCartney said:
“We went through about five-to-six hundred different designs of different polymers that we were mixing in before we found one that actually worked.”
The combine granulated plastic waste and asphalt concrete formula used to make roads to this asphalt.
They are using only the plastic that has been labeled as waste and not new or recycled, they must melt at a specific temperature. The new plastic road would be more flexible, and it will sustain heat, cold and everyday weather damages better.
This will last much longer than traditional asphalt roads as it is an enhanced asphalt form. McCartney said that the plastic roads are 60% stronger than traditional roads, and lab tests project these roads may last up to three times longer.
This can be used to make car parks, race tracks, airport runways, and motorways as well.
McCartney added:
“We are wanting to solve two world problems. On one side we call it the waste plastic epidemic, and on the other side the poor quality of roads that we have to drive on today.”
Sources used :
www.jumblejoy.com / brightside.me / edition.cnn.com