Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Recycling/reuse of plastic waste as construction material for sustainable development: a review

Researchers reviewed how waste plastic can be incorporated into construction materials — as binders, aggregates, or cement substitutes in bricks, tiles, concrete, and roads — finding that plastic-modified materials often show competitive strength properties while simultaneously diverting plastic waste from landfills.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 264 citations
Review Tier 2

Waste Plastic in Road Construction, Pathway to a Sustainable Circular Economy: A Review

This review examines existing literature on incorporating waste plastic into road construction, finding that its inclusion can improve pavement performance and durability while offering a pathway to divert non-biodegradable plastic from landfills.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Utilization of Plastic Waste in Road Paver Blocks as a Construction Material

Researchers evaluated the use of recycled plastic waste in road paver blocks in India, finding that incorporating recycled plastic improved block strength and weather resistance compared to conventional materials, offering a construction application for plastic waste.

2023 CivilEng 18 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Life Cycle Assessment of Road Pavements That Incorporate Waste Reuse: A Systematic Review and Guidelines Proposal

This systematic review examines life cycle assessments of roads built with recycled waste materials, including plastic. The research evaluates whether incorporating waste into road construction is truly more environmentally sustainable across the full life cycle. Using plastic waste in road building is one approach to keeping it out of the environment, though concerns remain about microplastic release from road surfaces over time.

2023 Sustainability 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Recycling High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) into construction materials as a key step in plastic waste reduction: case of Kigali City

Researchers investigated recycling high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic waste into construction materials in Kigali City, Rwanda, demonstrating that incorporating HDPE into road paving materials offered a viable pathway to reduce plastic waste accumulation while producing durable infrastructure.

2018 Rwanda Journal of Engineering Science Technology and Environment 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Waste in Road Construction - A Path Worth Paving?: Application of Dry Process in South Asia

This review evaluates the use of waste plastic as a bitumen modifier in road construction ("plastic roads"), finding that while the technology is being piloted globally, major gaps remain around long-term engineering performance, environmental risks, and potential microplastic leaching from road surfaces. Of particular concern is whether road wear could release microplastics into stormwater runoff and surrounding soils, adding a new and widespread source of environmental contamination. The authors conclude that plastic roads should not be promoted as a waste solution until these environmental and health risks are rigorously assessed.

2023 World Bank eBooks 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Solid Waste Management Assessment Among Selected Schools in Gwadabawa Local Government, Sokoto, Nigeria

Researchers assessed plastic solid waste management practices among schools in Gwadabawa Local Government Area, measuring waste volumes, disposal behavior, and institutional capacity for waste management. The findings highlighted systemic gaps in collection infrastructure and environmental education, with recommendations for policy interventions targeting school-level plastic waste reduction.

2024 EDUMALSYS Journal of Research in Education Management
Article Tier 2

The Holistic Approach of Plastic Waste Recycling for Sustainable Development

This review examines how plastic waste can be incorporated into construction materials including bricks, tiles, concrete, and roads as a binder, aggregate, or modifier. The authors find that using plastic waste in construction reduces landfill burden and dependence on mined resources, though performance effects vary by application.

2023 International Journal of Energy and Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Incorporating Waste Plastics into Pavement Materials: A Review of Opportunities, Risks, Environmental Implications, and Monitoring Strategies

This review examines the opportunities and risks of incorporating waste plastics into pavement construction materials, critically assessing performance benefits, environmental implications including microplastic release, and future directions for sustainable integration of plastic waste in road infrastructure.

2025 Applied Sciences
Article Tier 2

Theoretical Approaches to Plastic Waste Regulation in Nigeria

This paper reviews theoretical frameworks for plastic waste regulation in Nigeria, drawing on global best practices to evaluate approaches most suited to achieving sustainable plastic waste management. The analysis covers regulatory, economic, and behavioral theory as applied to plastic pollution governance.

2023 Beijing Law Review 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Innovative Use of Plastic for a Clean and Sustainable Environmental Management: Learning Cases from Ghana, Africa

This paper documents innovative approaches in Ghana where plastic waste is creatively converted into artifacts and pavement blocks rather than being discarded. The study suggests that these community-driven recycling initiatives help reduce plastic waste volumes, address urban drainage problems, and offer scalable learning cases for environmental sustainability in developing countries.

2021 Urban Science 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Road: A Sustainable Innovation in Civil Engineering

This study examines plastic roads as a civil engineering innovation that incorporates shredded plastic waste into asphalt mixtures as a partial bitumen substitute or aggregate modifier, assessing improvements to road durability and cost-effectiveness while addressing plastic waste accumulation. The review finds that plastic incorporation enhances structural performance and provides an environmentally beneficial disposal pathway for plastic waste.

2025 International Journal of Advanced Research in Science Communication and Technology
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review on sustainable utilization of plastic waste in asphalt: assessing environmental and health impact, performance, and economic viability

Researchers systematically reviewed plastic-modified asphalt, finding that while recycled plastic waste can improve road performance in some cases, it also poses environmental health risks through microplastic release, carcinogenic compound emissions, and volatile organic compound off-gassing, with cost-effectiveness varying widely by plastic type and processing method.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Innovations for Sustainable Plastic Waste Management in Nigeria

This paper reviews the current state of plastic waste management in Nigeria and proposes innovations for more sustainable disposal and recycling. Inadequate plastic waste management in rapidly urbanizing countries is a major driver of microplastic pollution in freshwater and marine environments.

2023 Environmental Contaminants Reviews 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Use of Waste Plastic as a Replacement for Bitumen in Road Construction

This review examines methods for incorporating waste plastic into road construction as an alternative to virgin bitumen and aggregates. Techniques like plastic-coated aggregates and plastic-modified bitumen improved road durability and weather resistance while diverting plastic from landfills. The approach offers a dual benefit of reducing plastic waste accumulation and decreasing the environmental impact of road construction.

2025 OCEM Journal of Management Technology & Social Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of the current progress of plastic waste recycling technology in structural materials

Researchers reviewed technologies for recycling plastic waste into construction materials such as concrete and asphalt, finding this approach can meaningfully reduce the environmental burden of plastic pollution. Incorporating plastic waste into building materials offers a practical path toward both waste reduction and more sustainable construction.

2023 Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 210 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Pollution and Framework Towards Sustainable Plastic Waste Management in Nigeria: Case Study

Nigeria faces a growing plastic pollution crisis driven by the rapid expansion of companies producing plastic bottles and sachet water packaging. This paper examines the scale of the problem and proposes a framework for more sustainable plastic waste management, drawing on case studies of existing challenges and potential interventions. While focused on policy and waste management rather than microplastics specifically, reducing plastic waste at source directly limits the amount that fragments into environmental microplastics.

2025 Environments 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Developing Sustainable Asphalt Mixtures Using High-Density Polyethylene Plastic Waste Material

Researchers evaluated asphalt mixtures incorporating high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic waste as a sustainable road pavement material, assessing whether recycled plastic can improve or maintain pavement performance while addressing plastic waste disposal.

2023 Sustainability 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of Asphalt Concrete Performance Using Waste Plastic Bottles (WPB) as a Sustainable Bitumen Modifier: A Comprehensive Rheological and Mechanical Assessment

Not relevant to microplastics — this study evaluates waste plastic bottles as a bitumen modifier to improve asphalt road performance, testing mechanical and thermal properties; it addresses plastic reuse in construction rather than environmental microplastic pollution.

2026 American Journal of Civil Engineering
Article Tier 2

Recycling waste plastics in roads: A life-cycle assessment study using primary data

Researchers conducted a life cycle assessment using primary data from Australian recycling facilities to compare waste plastic use as a bitumen additive versus aggregate replacement in asphalt roads, finding that both recycling approaches generally offer environmental benefits over virgin materials — supporting recycled plastic roads as a potentially sustainable waste management strategy.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 129 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact, Mitigation Strategies, and Future Possibilities of Nigerian Municipal Solid Waste Leachate Management Practices: A Review

This review assessed microplastic impacts, mitigation strategies, and future management possibilities for Nigeria, focusing on solid waste leachate from inadequately managed landfills as a major pollution pathway. The authors identified limited regulatory enforcement and lack of lined landfill infrastructure as key factors driving leachate contamination of groundwater and surface water.

2022 Nigerian Journal of Technological Development 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Case Study on Plastic Roads

This study examines plastic roads as an alternative to conventional asphalt construction, evaluating the composition, performance, and sustainability implications of using plastic-composite materials in road building.

2024 INTERANTIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
Article Tier 2

Plastic Solid Waste Management Assessment Among Selected Schools in Gwadabawa Local Government, Sokoto, Nigeria

Researchers assessed plastic solid waste management practices among selected schools in Gwadabawa Local Government Area, Nigeria, evaluating waste generation rates, disposal methods, and student awareness. The study found inadequate waste infrastructure and low awareness of recycling, and recommends targeted educational programs and improved collection systems to reduce plastic waste mismanagement in school settings.

2024 Mikailalsys Journal of Advanced Engineering International 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Ensuring sustainability in plastics use in Africa: consumption, waste generation, and projections

This review examines plastic consumption, waste generation, and future projections for African nations, finding rapidly increasing plastic use alongside limited waste management infrastructure. The study calls for African-specific sustainability policies to prevent a major escalation in plastic pollution as economic development accelerates across the continent.

2019 Environmental Sciences Europe 241 citations