• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: Triumph of the Bean Counters
  • VW Teases U.S. Version of ID.Buzz — and Here’s What We Know About the Electric Microbus
  • Make Sure You're Good to Go for the Holiday Weekend
  • Hyundai, LGES Building $4.3B EV Battery Plant in U.S.
  • New Vehicle Sales Set to Rise, Used Vehicle Sales Expected to Drop in May
  • Ford Teaming with Tesla to Make Charging Even Easier
  • Q&A: VinFast CEO Van Anh Nguyen Talks Tough Reviews, Tough Learning Curve, Bright Future
  • Stellantis Invests in new Lithium-Sulfur EV Battery Tech
  • The Safest Cars For Your Teenage Driver
  • Honda Teams with Aston Martin in Formula One Return
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Electrified GV70 AWD Prestige
    • A Week With: 2023 BMW XM
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 4Matic
    • First Drive: 2024 Audi Q8 e-Tron Prestige
    • First Drive: 2024 Volvo C40 Recharge Single Motor
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford Bronco Everglades Edition
    • First Drive: 2024 Kia Seltos
    • A Week With: 2023 Volvo V60 Cross Country B5 AWD
    • 2023 Kia Sportage PHEV X-Line Prestige AWD
    • First Drive: 2023 VinFast VF 8 City Edition
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Dutch Company Wants to Turn Plastic Waste into Roads

        Dutch Company Wants to Turn Plastic Waste into Roads

        Lego-like design could last longer, offer environmental advantages.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        July 15, 2015
        Dutch construction company KWS Infra is preparing to produce roads from recycled plastics, like water and soda bottles.

        That plastic soft drink bottle you’ve stuck into your car’s cupholder as you race down the road could see new life as part of the road itself. At least, that’s the idea of a small company in the Netherlands that wants to replace conventional asphalt and concrete with prefabricated roads made out of recycled plastic.

        The venture is being taken seriously, at least by the Dutch city of Rotterdam that could use the material in a pilot “street lab” project to see whether it can hold up to the daily grind of traffic. Dubbed PlasticRoad, the materials could last as much as three times longer than conventional pavement and withstand temperatures ranging from -40 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit.

        The Leader in Global Automotive News!

        The concept, developed by KWS Infra, part of a Dutch construction and engineering company, claims the PlasticRoad would be particularly “ideal for poorer soil” – such as is often found in the Netherlands – which can quickly cause conventional pavement to break up. The material would also have environmental benefits, KWS Infra claims, among other things eliminating the roadside emissions from laying down new asphalt.

        Proponents also note that the roads could be produced out of a variety of different forms of plastic waste. That could include such things as recycled water and soft drink bottles, as well as the enormous amount of plastic waste now swirling around in the oceans.

        (Idaho couple raises funds to continue development of “solar road.” For more, Click Here.)

        The concept creates Lego-like prefabricated segments that would be hauled to a construction site and then assembled in relatively quick fashion compared to current road construction methods. That also could make it easier to handle future repairs or changes to a road’s layout by simply snapping out old segments and replacing them with new ones.

        Each segment is actually hollow, providing a path for wires, pipes and drainage to be channeled through it. However, that does raise concerns about how to handle that infrastructure when repairing or replacing one of the blocks later on.

        Another question is how the road surface will compare with conventional pavement from a grip standpoint. Will tires have as much traction as they do on concrete or asphalt, and how will that change depending upon weather conditions?

        (Click Here for details about Honda’s $25 million settlement for overcharging minority buyers.)

        Researchers have been looking at a lot of alternative means to produce roads in recent years. Federal rules in the U.S. have helped clean up the mountains of old tires that traditionally piled up in landfills and lots, shredding them to a fine powder that is then added to asphalt.

        Meanwhile, India already uses a process that transforms plastic waste into a new polymer that can similarly be turned into asphalt. It reportedly results in stronger road surfaces.

        Meanwhile, a small U.S. start-up based in rural Idaho has been tinkering with a way to replace conventional roads with hexagonal blocks of glass-encased solar cells. Entrepreneurs Julie and Scott Brusaw have already paved a driveway with the material and have generated several million dollars in federal grants and crowdsourced funding to test the technology.

        (To see more about Marchionne and the decision about whether the new Wrangler will be built in Toledo, Click Here.)

        Dutch firm KWS Infra admits it could be at least three years before they can demonstrate their PlasticRoad technology in a major project. The solar road program is likewise years away from reality.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Rearview Mirror: Triumph of the Bean Counters

        May 27, 2023
        VW tease for ID Buzz three row

        VW Teases U.S. Version of ID.Buzz — and Here’s What We Know About the Electric Microbus

        May 26, 2023
        Hyundai and LGES handshake for GA battery plant REL

        Hyundai, LGES Building $4.3B EV Battery Plant in U.S.

        May 26, 2023

        One response to “Dutch Company Wants to Turn Plastic Waste into Roads”

        1. Jorge says:
          July 15, 2015 at 1:36 pm

          I saw a TV show on the plastic roads and while it may have some promise in certain locales, I just don’t see it being a viable surface for many areas. The same applies to the solar cell glass blocks. It all sounds nice but roads get dirty and the Sun only shines through the clouds a limited amount of time. Installation, maintenance and value all must be considered. It’s not too difficult to test the theories in parking lots and small local streets to get some real world experience with these proposed alternatives before heavily investing in what may be another impractical idea.

          It’s worth noting that in many parts of the U.S. the city/states intentionally use sub-standard road construction as a public works program and a means to financially reward companies who make political contributions to elected officials. If the roads were properly constructed the cost might be 50% higher but the roads would not need repairs in as little as a couple years. They would last at 25+ years before needing major resurfacing instead of every 5 years as they do now. Naturally those who benefit from cronyism are not going to educate the public that they are being exploited. It’s the way of the unscrupulous.

          Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: