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Recycling Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Bottle Waste into Sustainable Building Materials: A Systematic Review of Technical Performance, Environmental Safety and Circular-Economy
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This review of 69 studies found that recycled plastic bottles can safely replace some materials in concrete, bricks and asphalt, offering a way to reduce plastic waste in construction. However, researchers still need better testing methods to confirm these materials don't release harmful microplastics or chemicals over time.
Waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from single-use bottles is generated in rapidly increasing quantities, yet only about 15–35% of PET bottles are recycled. A systematic search of four databases (Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, Google Scholar and PubMed Central) returned 798 records; after duplicate removal and two-stage screening, 69 studies met the eligibility criteria, of which 28 reported the quantitative performance data that underpin the ranges extracted here. Three recycling routes were compared, namely mechanical recycling, chemical recycling (glycolysis, methanolysis, hydrolysis, pyrolysis and gasification) and enzymatic hydrolysis. PET has been added to concrete, asphalt, bricks, insulation and panels and tested for mechanical strength, physical behaviour and durability under laboratory conditions, and the associated microplastic release, leaching of antimony and phthalate plasticisers, and fire behaviour were also assessed. Costs and market barriers were examined. The evidence indicates that PET is suitable for non-structural and semi-structural applications, and that the reported dosage windows are application-specific rather than reducible to a single range: roughly 5–15% by volume as an aggregate replacement in concrete, 2–10% in asphalt on bases that differ between studies, 25–40% by mass in PET–sand bricks and 0.5–2% fibre volume fraction in fibre-reinforced mortar. Each window is an envelope across studies that differ in PET form, dosage basis, mix design and test standard, and none is a specification. Long-term field testing, standardised leaching and microplastic-release methods, and full life-cycle assessments remain the principal research and application gaps. By linking technical performance to environmental safety, evidence quality and market readiness, this review supports evidence-based decisions for sustainable, circular construction.
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Researchers tested mortar made with recycled PET plastic replacing some of the natural aggregate and found that it maintained comparable compressive strength while passing ecotoxicity tests with plants. The study suggests that incorporating recycled plastic waste into construction materials could be a viable way to reduce plastic in landfills without creating significant environmental harm.
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This review paper looks at how recycled plastic waste (like PET bottles) can be mixed into concrete for building construction, finding that the right amount can actually improve certain properties while reducing landfill waste. This matters because it offers a practical way to reuse plastic that would otherwise pollute the environment—though the paper focuses on construction benefits rather than directly studying whether this affects microplastic exposure or human health, so more research would be needed to confirm concrete made this way doesn't shed plastic particles over time.
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Researchers investigated the reuse of waste polyethylene terephthalate plastic as aggregate material in cement mortars and concretes. They found that incorporating PET waste into cementitious mixtures can be a viable strategy for recycling plastic while also reducing CO2 emissions from traditional aggregate mining. The study suggests that closing the life cycle of PET through construction materials could help address both plastic pollution and the environmental footprint of the building industry.
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