Los Angeles to Test Recycled Plastic in Road Construction

The city of Los Angeles is piloting a project that will use recycled plastic as a key ingredient in city roads. The city is using technology from TechniSoil and will test the method on First Street and Grand Avenue to see if it will work for other roads.

According to One Green Planet, tests show that plastic roads are up to seven times stronger than those made with regular asphalt. Environmentalists, however, have expressed concern about the leaching of plastic into waterways once they’re made into roads.

According to the report, currently, much of the recycled plastic in the city has ended up in landfills because of rising recycling costs. A place to put the bottles would help keep them out of landfills and alleviate the costs to the city.

One Green Planet has more information:

The use of plastic in streets is being piloted in Los Angeles this year. Recycled plastic will be a key ingredient in roads, acting as the binder. Using technology from a company called TechniSoil, the city hopes it will be a good use of its excess plastic.

Using a pilot site of First Street and Grand Avenue, the city will test the method to see if it will work for other roads. To make a road, the asphalt is made into plastic by taking plastic pellets and turning them into an oil. This plastic oil is then mixed with materials and paved like normal, according to spokesperson Kevin Mozee from the Department of Street Services in Los Angeles.

Apart from using up recycled bottles and other plastics, these roads will produce less emissions and use less materials, costs and time to build. Tests show that plastic roads are up to seven times stronger than those made with regular asphalt.

Read the full article here.