Appraising the Potential to Responsibly Recycle Plastic within Pavements, Pipe, and Rail Infrastructure

Amid rising global concerns over plastic waste, estimated at 350 million metric tons annually, civil infrastructure offers a promising avenue for responsible plastic recycling. This paper aims to complement the body of knowledge with a holistic look at the responsible recycling potential of plastic within geotechnical infrastructure. The primary objective is to provide measurable context to infrastructure’s ability to respond to the plastics crisis where asphalt pavements, plastic pipes, and railroad ties are emphasized. These elements provide a range of technological readiness and use levels where plastic pipes are currently the leading manner to recycle plastic into civil infrastructure. This paper shows that full incorporation of recycled plastics into pipe, pavement, and ties in the USA could consume up to 13% of the annual USA plastics waste. While infrastructure is one possible outlet to help manage plastic waste, it is clear that it cannot solely provide the help society needs to navigate its way out of the waste crisis.