Recycling plastic into roads

An asphalt mix made with recycled waste plastic incorporated into the asphalt’s bitumen binder has been trialled by Fulton Hogan at Christchurch International Airport.

Half of the airport’s fire station apron has been paved with PlastiPhalt, a proprietary asphaltic product developed and manufactured by Fulton Hogan.

About 250 tonnes of it was laid, using 3100 four-litre plastic oil containers which would otherwise have gone to landfill.

The trial is part of the company’s ongoing drive to use sustainable practices in making roads and industrial pavement surfacings, Fulton Hogan national environmental and sustainability manager Sophie Kennedy says.

“This trial dovetails in nicely with Christchurch Airport’s goal of being a sustainable and carbon neutral business and is a huge step towards our own goal of reducing plastic waste streams, internally and externally, by incorporating previously un-recyclable plastic into a quality, high performing surfacing solution,” she says.

PlastiPhalt is made with used oil containers collected through Fulton Hogan’s Recovering Oil Saves the Environment (ROSE) scheme.

“Fulton Hogan collects around 2.5 million litres of used oil each year from businesses such as workshops and garages and reuses this as an alternative fuel source,” Kennedy says. “These containers could not previously be recycled due to the residual oil left on the inner surface.”

PlastiPhalt trials on a lab scale started in 2014. It is made by shredding used plastic containers and then granulating the shreds to an ideal size for incorporating into bitumen. The plastic is then blended into appropriately classed asphalt grade bitumen.

The mix has been specifically designed for heavy to extreme vehicle traffic loading, which makes it particularly relevant for airports and ports.

Christchurch Airport is also involved in autonomous shuttle trials with Ohmio Automotion and is a hub for the Yoogo Carshare service which has about 100 EVs.