a road in Motherwell, Scotland made with EcoFlakes, a new asphalt additive made of recycled plastic, will be monitored for the next five years

To roll out a new layer of road, construction crews make asphalt by combining things like gravel and sand with a crude-oil byproduct called bitumen. Intense heat is applied to bind the materials together, and planet-heating gases are released along the way.

In fact, the creation and upkeep of roads accounts for over 12% of those harmful gases globally, according to the World Resources Institute.

However, adding EcoFlakes into the asphalt mixture can cut up to 20% of the related pollution and make the resulting road last longer, the council reported.

That means using the recycled plastic product is a double win. It can enhance the road's quality for drivers while also replacing some of its dirtier oil-based ingredients with a cleaner option.

https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/ecoflakes-scotland-plastic-asphalt/