Springfield Properties has taken a major step towards making its developments more environmentally sustainable after becoming the UK’s first housebuilder to use waste plastic to build a road on a housing development.
The initiative has seen Springfield introduce a more environmentally friendly asphalt product, which will be used initially on a section of road at the company’s Linkwood Steadings development in Elgin.
For the project Springfield teamed up with MacRebur, who has developed and patented its process of incorporating waste plastic in roads.
Dave Main, Springfield Properties North Managing Director, said: “Last year, Zero Waste Scotland reported that non-recycled plastic was costing Scotland £11 million a year. They also stated that 20 million plastic bottles were littered around Scotland and that 120,000 tonnes of plastic waste was produced by Scottish households alone.”
“The road in Elgin accounts for 20 tonnes of recycled plastic, the equivalent to 17,042 plastic bags or 6000 plastic bottles, which would otherwise have been consigned to landfill or incineration.”
“Potholes are an increasing and costly problem which plastic roads could help to address. Between 2014 and 2017, there was a 52 per cent increase in reports of potholes in Scotland alone.”
“MacRebur’s plastic roads have been through rigorous tests to meet British and European Standards and are up to 60 per cent stronger than our current roads, which should improve driving quality and reduce maintenance costs.”
Sarah Larkin, Contracts Manager for MacRebur, said: “At MacRebur, we have worked with household names in the commercial sector, the Department for Transport, Highways England and councils to use our product in everything from roads to carparks and racetracks to runways.”
“We are very proud to add Springfield to our growing list of clients and welcome them onboard as the first housebuilder in the UK to use waste plastic in their roads and we look forward to working with them again.”
“We also hope this pioneering project will inspire other developers in Scotland to follow Springfield’s lead as our product is available across the country as well as the UK and abroad.”