A SCOTTISH housebuilder is to be the first company in the sector to use waste plastic to build a road on a housing development.
The initiative has seen Elgin-based Springfield Properties introduce a more environmentally friendly asphalt product on a development.
The new road surfacing material contains waste plastic and will be used initially on a section of road at the company’s Linkwood Steadings development in Elgin.
According to Springfield: “The product reduces the amount of bitumen needed in the asphalt mix. For every tonne of bitumen replaced, the road surfacing carbon footprint is reduced by a tonne of carbon dioxide.
READ MORE: How a Scottish factory plans to turn plastic waste into material for roads
“The new surface looks like a traditional road, however, thanks to the flexible properties of plastic, it benefits from increased durability and longevity.”
For the project, Springfield teamed up with MacRebur, who have developed and patented a way to use waste plastic in roads, alongside asphalt producer Pat Munro.
MacRebur uses plastic waste that would otherwise have gone to landfill or incineration. It turns this into granules which are then mixed with a special activator, reducing the amount of fossil fuel required in asphalt production.
Springfield Properties’ north managing director, Dave Main, said: “Last year, Zero Waste Scotland reported that non-recycled plastic was costing Scotland £11 million a year. They also stated that 20 million plastic bottles were littered around Scotland and that 120,000 tonnes of plastic waste was produced by Scottish households alone.
“The road in Elgin accounts for 20 tonnes of recycled plastic, the equivalent to 17,042 plastic bags or 6000 plastic bottles, which would otherwise have been consigned to landfill or incineration.
“Potholes are an increasing and costly problem which plastic roads could help to address. Between
2014 and 2017, there was a 52% increase in reports of potholes in Scotland alone.
MacRebur’s plastic roads have been through rigorous tests to meet British and European Standards and are up to 60% stronger than our current roads, which should improve driving quality and reduce maintenance costs.”
Sarah Lakin, contracts manager for MacRebur, said she was delighted to work with Springfield on the project.
Lakin said: “At MacRebur, we have worked with household names in the commercial sector, the Department for Transport, Highways England and councils to use our product in everything from roads to carparks and racetracks to runways.
“We are very proud to add Springfield to our growing list of clients and welcome them onboard as the first housebuilder in the UK to use waste plastic in their roads and we look forward to working with them again.
“We also hope this pioneering project will inspire other developers in Scotland to follow Springfield’s lead as our product is available across the country as well as the UK and abroad.”
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