Transport Authority explores plastic waste in asphalt mixes

Estonia’s Transport Authority is investigating whether material produced by recycling plastic waste can be used in asphalt mixes, potentially reducing bitumen use and saving about 1.5 million euros a year, ERR reported.

Estonia produces approximately 1 million to 1.3 million tonnes of asphalt mixes annually, using up to 65,000 tonnes of bitumen. Replacing 4 to 5 percent of the bitumen binder with recycled plastic waste material could generate the estimated savings, provide a use for waste materials and reduce the carbon footprint.

The authority will begin a study to assess whether recycled plastic waste products generated in Estonia can be used in asphalt mixes. Mart Arusoo, head of the construction unit in the authority’s development department, said similar solutions had been tested in several countries.

However, the solutions have not yet been widely adopted because they raise technical and economic questions, Arusoo told ERR.

The study will take Estonia’s conditions into account, including asphalt surface temperatures ranging from 60 degrees Celsius to minus 30 degrees, frequent freeze and thaw cycles, wet weather and the use of chlorides to combat slippery roads.

The work will proceed in stages, starting with mapping available waste materials and conducting laboratory tests. Production trials will follow, with a test road section planned as the final stage.

The aim is to determine whether material produced through plastic recycling can partially replace bitumen binder in Estonia’s climate or improve the properties of asphalt mixes while meeting road construction requirements.

If the study finds the proposed solutions suitable and sufficiently promising, they could be introduced as early as 2029 or 2030, Arusoo said. The authority wants the first public project completed by the end of 2028 and plans to monitor it separately for four to five years.

Suitable material could still be introduced gradually before the monitoring period ends. Wider adoption will also depend on whether a company is prepared to produce the material and bring it to market.

The Transport Authority is now seeking a provider to conduct a market study before the procurement process.