Dutch construction company VolkerWessels has revealed its plans to build roads made out of plastic.
The company announced its concept for the PlasticRoad project in July, which consists of 100 per cent recycled material and is an alternative to conventional road structures.
The firm is collaborating with the city of Rotterdam to go ahead with the project and produce a road system created with modular plastic panels that snap together.
VolkerWessels claims that PlasticRoad features a number of advantages compared to conventional roads in terms of construction and maintenance.
The lightweight design and prefabricated production potentially means roads can be built in weeks instead of months. The firm also stipulates that PlasticRoad is a virtually maintenance free product, which is unaffected by corrosion and weather, being able to handle temperatures as low as negative 40 degrees-Celsius and as high as 80 degrees-Celsius.
The project concept is in line with developments such as Cradle to Cradle and The Ocean Cleanup – which aims to free the world’s seas of plastic waste.