In 2019, South Africa put 700 kg of waste plastic into a 300-metre road; Jeffreys Bay turned discarded packaging into its asphalt surface

In 2019, South Africa put 700 kg of waste plastic into a 300-metre road; Jeffreys Bay turned discarded packaging into its asphalt surface. The project was carried out in Jeffreys Bay, a coastal town in the Eastern Cape province. It used waste plastic in the asphalt mix for a pilot section of Woltemade Street. The project was developed by the Kouga Local Municipality with civil engineering companies. It aimed to address two issues at the same time: plastic waste and road maintenance. The project also showed how discarded packaging could be processed and used as part of road construction instead of being sent to landfills or reaching the ocean.

How the Jeffreys Bay plastic road was built?

The project was completed in October 2019. The 300-metre section of Woltemade Street became a pilot site for the use of recycled plastic in road construction. The road surface contained about 700 kg of recycled waste plastic. This amount was equivalent to about 500,000 single-use plastic bags.


The technology can use about 1.5 tons of plastic for every kilometre of road. This is equivalent to about 1.8 million single-use plastic bags for one kilometre. The plastic was not simply placed on the road. It was processed and incorporated into the asphalt mixture.

Traditionally, bitumen, which is derived from crude oil, is used as the binder in asphalt. In this project, a percentage of the bitumen binder was replaced with melted plastic pellets.

The resulting plastic-infused asphalt was then laid using standard road construction equipment and methods. This meant that the road could be built using existing construction practices while changing part of the material used in the asphalt.

Key points from the pilot project

• Location: Woltemade Street, Jeffreys Bay
• Province: Eastern Cape, South Africa
• Municipality: Kouga Local Municipality
• Length: 300 metres
• Recycled plastic used: About 700 kg
• Estimated plastic equivalent: About 500,000 single-use bags
• Plastic requirement: About 1.5 tons per kilometre
• Binder change: Part of the bitumen was replaced with melted plastic
• Construction: Standard road-building machinery and methods were used

Why the project was started?

The idea behind the project was connected to both infrastructure and environmental problems. The initiative was first promoted in the region in 2016 by the Democratic Alliance, or DA, political party. The Kouga Municipality later supported the project as it looked for ways to deal with its road maintenance problems and plastic waste.

At the time, the municipality had a reported R500 million road maintenance backlog. The municipality did not have enough funds to address the entire need through conventional asphalt repairs. At the same time, Jeffreys Bay faced an environmental issue linked to plastic packaging.

The town is located on the coast. Plastic waste that is not collected or properly managed can reach local waterways and the ocean. Plastic can also accumulate in landfills.

The project therefore attempted to connect waste management with road construction. Instead of treating discarded plastic packaging only as waste, the project tested whether some of it could become a material used in road surfaces.

What recycled plastic can do in asphalt?

The plastic-asphalt mixture was designed to provide several changes to the road surface. One of the main points was water resistance. Water is a major factor in the development of potholes because it can enter road layers and contribute to damage.

The plastic component creates a waterproof layer within the road surface. This can reduce the amount of rainwater that moves into lower road layers. The technology was also associated with changes in pavement strength and lifespan.

According to the project information, pavements made with the method can be up to 60% stronger and can last up to three times longer than standard surfaces. If these performance figures are maintained over time, they can reduce the need for repeated maintenance.

Temperature was another factor considered in the design. The plastic formula was reported to allow the road to operate across a temperature range from -40°C to +40°C without cracking or melting.

This is relevant because roads are exposed to changes in temperature throughout their service life. Traditional road surfaces can develop cracks as materials expand and contract.

Environmental considerations

Plastic roads also raise questions about what happens to the plastic after it becomes part of the road. The Jeffreys Bay project used processed plastic that was incorporated into the asphalt. The project information states that chemical processing alters the plastic and binds the particles within the road material.

This was intended to prevent plastic particles from being released into the surrounding soil as the road wears. The project therefore focused not only on using waste plastic but also on keeping the material contained within the road surface.

The approach could provide a use for some non-recyclable packaging that would otherwise face disposal through landfills or could enter the environment.

What the project meant for road maintenance?

The road project was also linked to the cost of maintaining roads. Conventional road repairs require materials, equipment and labour. Roads that develop potholes and cracks can require repeated work.

The reported strength and lifespan of the plastic-infused surface suggested that maintenance requirements could be reduced. However, the initial testing and development of a new road material can involve additional costs.

The project information notes that initial testing can be expensive, while longer-term maintenance costs can be lower when the material provides greater durability. This made the Jeffreys Bay project a test of whether waste plastic could have both an environmental use and an infrastructure application.

Plastic roads are being tested in other countries

South Africa was not the only country to explore plastic-infused roads. Countries including India, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have also worked with plastic waste in road construction.

India, in particular, has used shredded plastic waste in thousands of kilometres of rural and urban roads. These projects use different processes and materials, so the results from one country cannot automatically be applied to another.

The broader idea is similar: plastic waste can be processed and incorporated into road-building materials instead of being discarded. The approach has attracted attention because road construction requires large quantities of materials, while communities continue to generate plastic waste.

Why the Jeffreys Bay project matters?

The Jeffreys Bay pilot brought two local problems into one construction project. The first was the plastic waste problem. Single-use packaging can be difficult to recycle and can reach landfills, waterways and oceans.

The second was the road maintenance backlog. The Kouga Municipality had a reported R500 million backlog and was looking for ways to manage its infrastructure needs.

The 300-metre road provided a controlled setting for testing recycled plastic in asphalt. The use of 700 kg of plastic also showed how a quantity of discarded packaging could be incorporated into a road rather than being treated only as waste.

The project became an example of how waste materials can be considered in infrastructure planning. Its reported performance, including water resistance, strength, temperature flexibility and lifespan, became part of the discussion around plastic-infused roads.