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RECYCLED WASTE USED TO BUILD ROADS
In 2018, Melbourne put 200,000 plastic bags, 63,000 glass bottles and 4,500 used printer cartridges into a road; 250 tonnes of recycled asphalt showed 60% better fatigue resistanceIn 2018, Melbourne tested a road with an unusual ingredient list: 200,000 plastic bags, 63,000 glass bottles and 4,500 used printer cartrid...- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- In 1972, FHWA used 5 inches of scrubber waste in a parking-area base at Washington's Dulles Airport. 2 years later, wet weather caused the experimental base to soften and be replacedEarly tests explored scrubber waste for road bases and subbases. Florida projects between 1977 and 1989 showed highly satisfactory performa...
- 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...
- Nearly 300 tonnes of unwanted glass were headed for the landfill. Idaho used them to build a highway instead and solved a local landfill crisisEngineers have ingeniously repurposed discarded glass as a foundation material for highways, utilizing around 300 tonnes of crushed glass c...
- 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...
- Florida turned scrubber waste into road base in 12 projects by 1989; 100,000 tons earned highly satisfactory ratings, transforming an industrial byproduct into useful road baseFlorida utilized processed FGD scrubber material in twelve road-base projects between 1977 and 1989. This material demonstrated satisfactor...
- 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...
- In 2023, Australia's Sydney put 120,000 glass jars and 200 tonnes of old asphalt on Clarence Street. 1 year later, its program recycled 670,000 glass jars into asphalt across the citySydney is using recycled materials in road renewal, giving glass jars and reclaimed asphalt a new purpose instead of sending them to landfi...
- In 2024, Wales used 80,000 discarded diapers to build a road instead of sending 4 tons of waste to landfillCarmarthenshire County Council has collaborated with Nappicycle to conduct a groundbreaking road trial. Thousands of used diapers were skil...
- 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...
- In 1990, New York City began recycling waste glass into street pavement. 5 years later, the city had reused 250,000 tons of glass in resurfacing projects across the cityNew York City pioneered waste glass use in road construction between 1990 and 1995. Research examined crushed glass as an asphalt aggregate...
- 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...
- In 2022, a Washington State lab study replaced 20% of cement with recycled glass powder; 56-day strength rose 19% with steel milling, while surface resistivity improved 150% with ceramic millingWashington State University engineers are testing recycled glass powder as a cement substitute. This waste material could potentially impro...
- 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...
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