Recycling is taking to the roads, literally!
Victoria is about to get ten special roads, and they’re not just your regular roads.
These roads will have a mix of the usual stuff and recycled plastics. Experts are calling this a great step towards a better, green future.
Why is this happening?
This project, led by RMIT University, has a bunch of supporters including the Australian Research Council, Austroads, and 10 councils in Victoria.
They are taking plastic waste – the kind you and I throw away, even the soft plastics that are hard to recycle – and adding them to asphalt. This not only gives a new use to our waste but also makes the roads even better!
Australia produces a lot of plastic waste – 2.6 million metric tons each year, to be exact. And the scary part? Our landfills might be full by 2025. This project is one way to tackle this growing problem.
The main person behind this project, Associate Professor Filippo Giustozzi from RMIT, explained that they’re also making a guide on how to use these plastics in roads.
With this guide, local governments, who look after most of the country’s roads, can start making more of these green roads everywhere.
In the coming months, the City of Melbourne and nine other councils are going to show everyone how it’s done. They’re going to make parts of roads, each up to 900 meters long, using this special plastic mix.
And while these ten roads will use 21,000 kg of recycled plastic, imagine the possibilities if every road in Australia started using this!
How do we know these roads are good? RMIT did a lot of tests. They found out that these roads with recycled materials, like plastic and rubber, are actually better than regular ones. They’re tougher against the wear and tear of traffic and don’t get old as fast.
In one of their studies, the team found that the plastic roads were way stronger than the regular ones. Some of these mixes were even as good as the pricier materials used in some roads.
Thanks to the partnership with the Victorian councils and Austroads, these studies are now becoming real solutions. These plastic roads will not only help with the waste problem but also create a trusted way to recycle plastics for roads.
Austroads’ boss, Geoff Allan, spoke about the project. He highlighted that many are keen on using recycled plastic in new ways. Austroads had earlier found out that recycled plastics could be used in roads without harming the environment, the workers, or the ability to recycle the road material later.
This new project will make guidelines based on real evidence. This way, road makers will be sure about using recycled plastics in their projects. With the combined efforts of Austroads and other experts in roads and recycling, the hope is that this green solution will soon be used all over the country.
In short, it’s an exciting time for recycling in Australia! Roads made from plastic waste could be the green solution we’ve been looking for.
The study was published in the journal Science of The Total Environment,
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Source: RMIT University.
