Driving Innovative Solutions for Advancing Use of ‘Plastic’ Roads

University of Missouri researchers are on the leading-edge of developing sustainable plastic waste road pavement mixtures.

Millions of roads across the United States are constructed with asphalt pavement that’s deteriorating over time. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are using recyclables, including plastic waste, as a sustainable solution to fix America’s fracturing road system.

In partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), researchers from the Mizzou Asphalt Pavement and Innovation Lab (MAPIL) recently created a real-world test road using recycled materials like scrap tires and plastic waste along a portion of Interstate 155 in the Missouri Bootheel. By increasing the sustainability of asphalt mixes, this innovative method can help reduce the number of items going into landfills or leaking into the environment, said Bill Buttlar, director of MAPIL. …

Source: University of Missouri