How’s that for a thought hey, a road made of plastic. What a time to be alive.
So the Kouga municipality mayor Horatio Hendricks announced earlier this week that local civil engineering and construction companies SP Excel and Scribante Construction are linking up with MacRebur, a Scottish firm, in order to construct a 1km plastic test track.
The idea was first pitched back in 2017 by Vicky Knoetze, however, the powers that be among the provincial legislature were quick to shoot it down. By her estimates, roughly 1.8 million plastic bags could be used to cover a 1 km stretch of road.
“Non-recyclable plastic waste, which ends up in the ocean or clogging up landfill sites, is processed into pellets and used to replace a large component of the bitumen in a conventional asphalt mix. The result is a road that is stronger and more durable. Water, the main cause of potholes, does not penetrate it as easily as with traditional asphalt mixes and it is also more heat resistant.” said Knoetze.
Hendricks also stated that the trial run would be financed by their partners and if it were to be successful the municipality would potentially set up a factory capable of recycling and producing the pellets needed to construct the road.
“In this way, it will be a triple win for our people: better roads, less pollution and more job opportunities.”
