The Plastic Route

This project aims to test the operation of the construction of roads made with a mixture of asphalt and recycled plastic. Approximately 6 metric tons of plastic were needed for every 500m of road. As a pilot, two roads were paved, one in Vacamonte and the other in Chiriquí. This project will help reduce the amounts of plastic accumulated in garbage dumps, using it to build something productive and functioning for society. In the same way, it serves as a guide for the law project 687 that establishes the use of recyclable materials in the construction of asphalt roads.

On November 14, 2018, the first pilot was made in Vacamonte, Arraiján, in which approximately 500 meters of road were paved. In each 200m of this section, 1% and 2% of the mix aggregate were replaced, respectively. 

On February 11 and 12, 2019, the construction of the second section was carried out in San Carlos, Chiriquí, in which 600m of road were built. The pilot included, of the 600 m of asphalt dumped, to replace the aggregate with recycled plastic with concentrations between 1.5% and 3%. 

Replacing 1% of the mix aggregate is equivalent to using approximately 13,000 plastic bottles, and replacing 2% is equivalent to approximately 19,500 plastic bottles.