Hawaii transportation officials began a road project in 2022 by mixing recycled plastic into asphalt, a type of concrete. The project used recycled plastic equal to nearly 195,000 plastic bottles that could otherwise have become waste, according to Khon2 News.
The use of plastic in the road also led researchers to study what would happen to the material as vehicles repeatedly drove over it. They studied its performance and investigated its potential to release microplastics into the surrounding environment. The resulting data could help determine whether Hawaii could substantially increase the proportion of recycled asphalt used in future roads.
Researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s College of Engineering evaluated the pavement over 18 months.
Researchers have been examining whether the road releases microplastics into the environment, and the findings so far have been encouraging, according to Khon2 News . Residents living along Fort Weaver Road near Puuloa Beach Park also said the road has become noticeably smoother.
