Plastic May Not be so Bad After All

When plastic first became popular, it was considered a material of the future. Since then, the concept of something being plastic brings to mind the notion of fake or cheap workmanship. While this certainly can be true at times, let's not forget how much safer it is to drop a plastic bottle verses a glass bottle. Likewise, plastic is also lighter and more flexible than many other common building materials. Its durability and other qualities often overlooked are now being reexamined for industrial purposes. A particularly exciting possibility is the use of recycled plastic in building roadways.

Like plastic, asphalt can be recycled. However, asphalt tends to fail at the worst times and can be expensive to replace. In principal, plastic is more durable in temperature extremes. Other benefits include:

• Lasts up to three times longer than asphalt.
• Less susceptible to cracks.
• Can be prefabricated for significantly faster road repair and construction.
• Has hollow interior for easier cabling and pipes.

European construction company VolkerWessel plans to begin testing a "street lab" within three years in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. Although people may have trouble initially grappling with the concept, if major roadways could be built and repaired faster and even last longer, the idea really does have merit. Until then, potholes and sinkholes will supply incentives for finding a more durable substitute for asphalt and concrete that is both eco-friendly and cost effective.