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. O 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.