A Step towards Sustainable Concrete by Replacing Plastic Waste in Concrete: A Summary of its Mechanical Properties

Plastics have become an essential part of our daily lives, and global plastic production has increased dramatically in the past 50 years. This has significantly increased the amount of plastic garbage produced. Researchers have recently been interested in using trash and recyclable plastics in concrete as an ecologically acceptable building material. Many publications have been published that describe the behaviour of concrete, containing waste and recovered plastic com ponents. However, information is scattered, and no one knows how plastic trash behaves as concrete materials. This research examines the use of plastic waste (PW) as aggregate or fibre in cement mortar and concrete manufacturing. The article reviewed the three most significant features of concrete: fresh properties, mechanical strength, and durability. PW and cement connections were also studied using microstructure analysis (scan electronic microscopy). The results showed that PW, as a fibre, enhanced mechanical performance, but PW, as a coarse aggregate, impaired concrete performance owing to poor bonding. The assessment also identified research needs to enhance the performance of PW-based concrete in the future.