The amount that humans have altered the Earth with things like mining lead some scientists to suggest that we're living in a new epoch called the Anthropocene.
This is causing engineers to develop new ways for us to leave less of a mark on the planet, such as these plastic roads that can be installed and removed quickly.
Rotterdam, in Holland, may be the first city to embrace these new plastic roads, with Dutch company VolkerWessels collaborating with the city of Rotterdam to prototype the roads in a "street lab."
Of course, the project still is in its very early stages and may not get anywhere, but it's still a very interesting idea. Not only are the roads completely plastic, but they're also made from recycled plastic, litter that is collected from oceans. The plastic is collected and molded into bricks that can easily be installed on-site. The project would make a dent in pollution from the huge amounts of asphalt used in the creation of roads and help clear the ocean litter.
The plastic road pieces are hollow, allowing for infrastructure such as pipes and electrical wires to be run along them, enabling repairs to easily be conducted without having to unearth pipes completely. The idea is also a great solution for creating roads where the soil isn't as stable, such as in swampy or sandy land.
"It's still an idea on paper at the moment; the next stage is to build it and test it in a laboratory to make sure it's safe in wet and slippery conditions and so on. We're looking for partners who want to collaborate on a pilot - as well as manufacturers in the plastics industry, we're thinking of the recycling sector, universities and other knowledge institutions," said Rolf Mars, director of VolkerWessels' roads subdivision, in an interview with The Guardian.
Of course, this isn't the first time that we have seen a proposal such as this. Rajagopalan Vasudevan, an Indian professor, has spoken about a way to use recycled plastic to create a polymer that could be used in making asphalt. These roads would be stronger and cheaper, and they still use asphalt, making them a more realistic proposal than completely plastic roads.
And, of course, the idea is reminiscent of the "solar roadways" Kickstarter that took place last year and saw the development of roads that are built with plastic hexagonal "bricks" that double as solar panels. That campaign earned $2,257,423 and was 220 percent funded in June 2014. In an update on its site a month ago, the developer said it is finalizing its solar panel designs. "We are dealing with some delays that are beyond our control, but we are still on track to install the first public projects in Sandpoint, Idaho, this year."
All of the interest in roads is indicative of designing roads that are easily removable. Roads don't last forever, and the fact that these roads are easily removable and green could be a huge development in cutting down on pollution.
