You ever been to a playground when you were a kid, and they had those little pathways made of textured plastic? Why the heck are we only using those for playgrounds? It’s a good idea! Well, it seems the Dutch company Wavin shares my enthusiasm, because they’ve created quite the plastic marvel in the village of Zwolle.
Wavin has just opened public access on the world’s very first plastic street. Aptly named “PlasticRoad,” the street is made of 100% recycled plastic products, both inside and out. This first street is about 96 feet long and is open for foot and bicycle traffic. Not only do the designers estimate that this road will last three times longer than a traditional paved road, it also contains special hollows to drain water in an effort to prevent flooding.
The street is technically still in its testing phase to see how it reacts to different forces and climates, but so far, the reaction has been nothing but positive from both designers and Zwolle citizens. Wavin hopes that the prefab road tiles will speed up road building in the future, and they are hoping to have another one opened as soon as November. This might just be the ultimate recycling solution we’ve all been waiting for, and we get better roads out of it to boot.
