In 2025, Netherlands turned retired wind-turbine blades into a 60-metre highway noise barrier; tests found it performed like a conventional concrete wallNetherlands’ 60-metre Blade Barrier represents more than an unusual highway wall. It is an experiment in what a circular economy can look l...
15 Sep, 2026, 07.24 PM IST
In 2020, California repaved a highway using recycled materials, including 150,000 plastic bottles per mile; it could last 2-3 times longer than conventional asphaltCalifornia transportation officials tested recycled pavement using plastic bottle binder. This pilot project on Highway 162 consumed approx...
15 Sep, 2026, 06.53 PM IST
What if India’s waste could power its growth? Bhupender Yadav makes the circular economy pitchIndia should view the circular economy as a way to make growth more resource-efficient, resilient and sustainable rather than simply as a w...
15 Sep, 2026, 01.47 PM IST
In 2020, Australia built more than 90% of a road project from recycled waste; five million bottles went into a job that cost no more than a standard buildIn 2020, Australia built more than 90% of a road project from recycled waste; five million bottles were used in a Central Coast Council pro...
15 Sep, 2026, 01.32 AM IST
In 2018, Victoria put the equivalent of 40 million discarded bottles into a freeway; 8,000 tonnes of crushed glass went into one widening projectScience news: 8,000 tonnes of recycled glass used in the 2018 Tullamarine Freeway widening project is a powerful example of how recycling c...
15 Sep, 2026, 01.29 AM IST
6,000 milk bottle road in China: How plastic waste found a strange second life in ShanghaiMore than 6,000 used milk bottles in Shanghai were given an unusual second life when they were processed into recycled plastic and incorpor...
12 Sep, 2026, 02.12 PM IST
In 2022, Wales mixed fibres from 4.3 tonnes of used nappies into a highway; the waste replaced asphalt material imported from EuropeWales recently resurfaced part of the A487 highway using fibers from 4.3 tonnes of recycled diapers. Sanitized diaper waste was processed i...
11 Sep, 2026, 09.20 PM IST
In the year to September 2023, one Australian city used 6,790 litres of waste engine oil to build roads; it became a coating for stone used in road sealsIn the year leading up to September 2023, the City of Greater Geelong transformed thousands of litres of used motor oil into durable public...
10 Sep, 2026, 10.35 PM IST
In 2021, Australia's RMIT helped Coles put 900,000 pieces of soft plastic into concrete. 1 year later, another Coles development was set to reuse 6.5 million pieces through PolyrokRMIT University developed Polyrok, a plastic aggregate from recycled soft plastics. This innovative material was first used commercially at...
10 Sep, 2026, 12.23 AM IST
In 2021, Victoria used 2,100 tons of recycled road base to rebuild the Hume Freeway. 5 years later, its 850-metre stretch had turned waste into a longer-lasting road tooPlastic bags and glass bottles usually end up in the trash. In Australia, some became part of a highway instead. Engineers rebuilt an 850-m...
09 Sep, 2026, 07.33 PM IST
In 2021, Missouri added just 1% waste plastic to a two-mile road, that tiny share consumed 10 tons, equal to 750,000 soda bottlesIn 2021, Missouri transportation officials discussed a road project that tested recycled plastic in asphalt pavement. Engineers from the Un...
09 Sep, 2026, 12.50 AM IST
In 2021, Shanghai used 6,000 milk bottles to fight plastic waste; the result became China's 1st plastic road, turning hard-to-recycle bottles into useful paving materialShanghai’s “Milk Bottle Road” demonstrates how difficult-to-recycle plastic can be redirected toward useful infrastructure. Developed throu...
08 Sep, 2026, 11.21 PM IST
In 2011, Axion built a 90-foot plastic bridge over Scotland's River Tweed. 1 year later, ASME reported its six sections took just 4 days to assemble on-site in EdinburghEngineers have developed recycled structural composites from materials such as milk jugs and detergent containers. The technology, pioneere...
08 Sep, 2026, 10.01 PM IST
In 2025, Nebraska put two million plastic bags into a 4,000-foot road; it became the state’s first recycled-plastic roadNebraska put the equivalent of two million plastic bags into a 4,000-foot road in 2025, creating the state’s first recycled-plastic road. T...
08 Sep, 2026, 09.11 PM IST
In 2019, Victoria's Wyndham City turned 199,000 recycled bottles into a 200-metre footpath. 1 year later, the project had reached 339 metres and delivered 1,700kg in carbon savingsVictoria’s Wyndham City turned 199,000 recycled bottles into a 200-metre footpath in 2019. The project showed how plastic waste could be gi...
08 Sep, 2026, 08.04 PM IST
In 2019, Australia's Central Coast Council used 631,000 plastic bags, 117,000 bottles and 14,400 printer cartridges on a 600-metre road. 7 years later, the project remains a striking waste-to-road example across the regionCentral Coast Council is now using recycled soft plastic and glass in road surfacing. This innovative product, Reconophalt, diverts thousan...
08 Sep, 2026, 06.49 PM IST
In 2025, Washington State researchers recycled wind-turbine blade waste into plastic; up to 70% of recovered GFRP was reused, while 83.5% of the resin matrix was degradedInnovative researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking chemical technique to recycle decommissioned wind turbine blades. This process effect...
08 Sep, 2026, 01.10 PM IST