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Transforming Agricultural and Plastic Waste Into Sustainable Construction Materials: A Review
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This review examines how agricultural residues and waste plastics can be combined into composite construction materials, evaluating improvements in tensile, compressive, and flexural strength alongside environmental and economic benefits such as reduced landfill use, while also identifying challenges including fire hazards, leaching risks, and reduced mechanical strength in certain formulations.
Abstract The rapid accumulation of agricultural and plastic waste has created pressing environmental, economic, and social challenges. With plastics taking centuries to degrade and agricultural residues often underutilised, innovative strategies for waste valorisation are critical. This review explores methods for upcycling agricultural and plastic waste into sustainable building materials. In this study, waste plastics and agricultural by-products are combined to produce composite materials that exhibit enhanced tensile, compressive, and flexural properties across various formulations. The environmental and economic benefits of upcycling—such as reduced landfill use, resource conservation, and cost-effective building alternatives—are evaluated alongside challenges such as reduced mechanical strength, fire hazards, and leaching risks. The purpose of this paper is to summarise current research and identify future opportunities for advancing circular economy practices and reducing the environmental footprint of the construction industry.
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