The sustainable PlasticRoad project, which is still in the development phase, aims to build roads using a reused material: recycled plastic bottles. This very useful idea comes from the Netherlands and is set to be tested in the city of Rotterdam, where it could be available within three years.
Roads made from recycled plastic will result in a greater respect for the environment, preventing the release of tons of carbon dioxide each year—as happens when petroleum derivatives are used—and, in addition, they will have a 3 times greater durability and strength compared to that achieved with roads built using conventional materials.
His construction It will be a lot simpler, since prefabricated blocks will be manufactured and will simply need to be transported to the site where they will be installed. Thanks to this, the construction will be faster, which will speed up construction and prevent the disruptive road closures that such work causes. These blocks are shaped like hollow rectangular prisms, allowing for the installation of water, gas, or electrical lines.
This idea offers additional advantages, such as making it possible to build a highway in a more economic, reduce significantly its maintenance or sbetter withstand extreme temperatures. Although the PlasticRoad project still has some details that need to be studied in greater depth, such as how the road behaves in wet conditions.
Efforts are currently underway to find a way to finance the project. Rotterdam, a model of a sustainable city, has already expressed interest in the project.
