Perspective: Unpacking Biden s American Jobs Plan: The future is polymer
Gretchen Philyaw
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Traditional methods of producing, storing and shipping goods by way of aluminum, glass or metals are no longer viable. The infusion of plastics and other synthetics into our daily lives has become the only sustainable answer, despite the material s bad reputation. From the automobile to the commercial airliner, from packaged foods to our busy roadways, the future is polymer.
Right now, the Biden Administration is putting together the American Jobs Plan, a strategy promoting U.S. investment to create millions of good jobs and rebuild the country s infrastructure. As part of the plan, highways will be repaired, bridges will be rebuilt, while ports, airports and transit systems are upgraded using an additional $621 billion investment into transportation infrastructure.
12 Countries Have Built Roads Out of Plastic â And They Can Perform As Well or Better Than Asphalt
Mar 11, 2021
Asphalt with the additive TonerPlas, made from mixed soft plastics, is used to resurface a roadway in Fremantle, Western Australia, in 2020/Close The Loop
This article first appeared in Yale Environment 360 and is re-printed with permission.Â
A road running through Accra, Ghanaâs capital, looks like any other blacktop. Yet what most drivers donât realize is that the asphalt under them contains a slurry of used plasticsâshredded and melted bags, bottles, and snack wrapsâthat otherwise were destined for a landfill.
March 9, 2021
A traditional asphalt road like this one may look the same and perform better with plastic waste baked into it.
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A road running through Accra, Ghana’s capital, looks like any other blacktop. Yet what most drivers don’t realize is that the asphalt under them contains a slurry of used plastics shredded and melted bags, bottles and snack wraps that otherwise were destined for a landfill.
The impetus for many similar road projects underway in Ghana was an ambitious plan announced by President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2018. It calls for Ghanaians to strive for a circular model, to recycle and reuse as much plastic waste as they produce each year roughly 1.1 million tons by 2030.
Could plastic roads make for a smoother ride?
By Chermaine Lee3rd March 2021
From lower carbon emissions to fewer potholes, there are a number of benefits to building a layer of plastic into roads.
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On a road into New Delhi, countless cars a day speed over tonnes of plastic bags, bottle tops and discarded polystyrene cups. In a single kilometre, a driver covers one tonne of plastic waste. But far from being an unpleasant journey through a sea of litter, this road is smooth and well-maintained – in fact the plastic that each driver passes over isn t visible to the naked eye. It is simply a part of the road.