Can plastic roads save the planet ?

[Kb27]

Engineer Toby McCartney explains how his Scottish start-up MacRebur is persuading councils to use local waste plastic to build roads. Two English councils have already started building roads this way.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39693091

 

 

Watch the video.

 

I think it's a great idea.

Use plastic waste and maybe get a longer lasting road that don't break down as much.

[Desrongrong]

not for SG , too many things going on underground

Watch the video.

 

I think it's a great idea.

Use plastic waste and maybe get a longer lasting road that don't break down as much.

 

[Buadongdong]

not for SG , too many things going on underground

Paving roads got nothing to do with things underground right? Or does it? Its just the same as any conventional methods of paving a road except the contents are different. Just curious to know how the plastics can withstand the weather and harsh loads on the roads with lorries running through them. Need to see the specifications to know more about this new setup..

[Ishiwgao]

not for SG , too many things going on underground

 

I originally had the same thought as you when i read the title. this plastic road sound so damn flimsy surely cannot support car.

 

but if you watch the video (which provides way more info than the article), the waste plastic just replaces part of the bitumen when making the road. In a normal road, the bitumen takes up only 10% of the material when making the road. In this new case, im guessing the waste plastic is maybe going to replace <5% of the total material to make the road. Like that the road will still be strong to maintain any weight overhead even with underground tunnels and/or holes. 

 

TS, i suggest u edit you first post to give a brief summary of the video, so that people wont straight away think it's a whole road made of plastic (which i'm sure many people who don't have time or interest to watch the video will think), but just replacing some small portion of the road building materials. I myself think it is a good initiative. Thanks to TS for bringing this video here to sgcarmart.

[Jamesc]

Watch the video.

 

I think it's a great idea.

Use plastic waste and maybe get a longer lasting road that don't break down as much.

 

Roads were invented by a Scottish man John Loudon McAdam

 

and that's why its also called tarmac.

 

Funny another Scottish man is making a better version. They have

 

a lot of experience in making roads. 

 

  

[ER-3682]

Those Living in the East who used ECP towards the Airport,will notice a new Road surface,it is very smooth & quiet to run on..i think  it is a new Material.

[Lala81]

I've watched a documentary on plastics recycling in India. There are entire villages in india who do nothing but manually recycle plastics. I really doubt that plastics are not recycled.

 

It's just that we use a lot of these plastics for disposable reasons which have to be recycled. Hence wasting energy and resources.

[Victor68]

if we better plan our works, it already save the world. sometimes the short span open and patch so many times in a month, I wonder why dont have a permanent trench.

[Ake109]

Watch the video.

 

I think it's a great idea.

Use plastic waste and maybe get a longer lasting road that don't break down as much.

 

In Singapore doesn't matter. We dig up those freshly paved roads to build more malls and condos before it starts to break.

[ER-3682]

Not only that,Roads are "Dig & Patch" by Contractors....our Roads surface are getting from bad to worse...

[Sdf4786k]

I believe more suitable for N parks than for our Singapore roads. The SG roads no proper planning. Months after months, surface and resurface, dig again. 

 

Probably something more easily piece together like a jigsaw puzzle configuration would make sense and cents.

 

Else N Parks with the vast amount of space for joggers and cyclist makes a more better alternative as well as a beta test plan for implementation of schools or carparks before making a blunder .

[Volvobrick]

Not only that,Roads are "Dig & Patch" by Contractors....our Roads surface are getting from bad to worse...

 

Almost everything in Singapore is going from bad to worse.....trains, hawker food quality, cleanliness..

 

maybe except politicians' pay - quite a number of them getting pay increase with their recent plomotion.

 

[Vratenza]

Isn't plastic just one of the product of crude oil .... and bitumen is one of the product as well.

 

What will happen to all the bitumen by product after they extracted all the other expensive distillate eg. petroleum, plastic monomers?

 

Land fill?

 

Don't understand the logic here.

[Sdf4786k]

Isn't plastic just one of the product of crude oil .... and bitumen is one of the product as well.

 

What will happen to all the bitumen by product after they extracted all the other expensive distillate eg. petroleum, plastic monomers?

 

Land fill?

 

Don't understand the logic here.

they just taking the reuse reduce recycle one step further.

 

I am just wondering if it makes sense to spend money to prep for recycle

 

Its the same arguement for Recycle paper. The key word here is recycle. Not cheaper. Ever try buying recycle paper ? 

 

Same as electric cars. The amount of energy use to charge the car vs what the car use.

 

 

[Vratenza]

well i see it different from paper or metal recycling.

 

Metal and paper if there is recycling, the demand for raw material extraction is reduced.

 

In case of bitumen, even if there is reduced bitumen usage as a result of plastic recycling, the crude oil refineries are not going to just reduce production of plastic monomers, diesel/petroleum.

 

Bitumen actually is almost akin to the waste by-product of the whole refinery business which they managed to get some money out of selling them.

 

they just taking the reuse reduce recycle one step further.

 

I am just wondering if it makes sense to spend money to prep for recycle

 

Its the same arguement for Recycle paper. The key word here is recycle. Not cheaper. Ever try buying recycle paper ? 

 

Same as electric cars. The amount of energy use to charge the car vs what the car use.

 

[Xers007]

well i see it different from paper or metal recycling.

 

Metal and paper if there is recycling, the demand for raw material extraction is reduced.

 

In case of bitumen, even if there is reduced bitumen usage as a result of plastic recycling, the crude oil refineries are not going to just reduce production of plastic monomers, diesel/petroleum.

 

Bitumen actually is almost akin to the waste by-product of the whole refinery business which they managed to get some money out of selling them.

 

what you say is pretty true...  no body cares whatever by-product... only want to see/hear the word "RECYCLE" and they think they are saving the earth and willing to pay even more for it... but are they saving the earth?? might not be...

 

Edited April 28, 2017 by Xers007

[Vratenza]

 

to illustrate my point ......

[ER-3682]

Almost everything in Singapore is going from bad to worse.....trains, hawker food quality, cleanliness..

 

maybe except politicians' pay - quite a number of them getting pay increase with their recent plomotion.

Also Attitude,like the Toa Payoh Hawker Centre,"Push Old Man,because of a Seat"..incident.