A road in Motherwell has become the first in the UK to undergo a trial using recycled plastic to reduce the bitumen content of asphalt, as part of a national programme aimed at cutting carbon from road maintenance.
A short section of Chapelknowe Road was resurfaced earlier this month using Hot Rolled Asphalt into which 0.5 of EcoFlakes, a recycled-plastic product supplied by German firm Ecopals, was blended at the asphalt plant. Unlike earlier plastic additions that were added to asphalt as a physical component, EcoFlakes are designed to be homogenously mixed into the bitumen where they act as a polymer modifier, the project team says. Developers claim the approach can slow the ageing of the bitumen and reduce carbon emissions by as much as 20%.
The resurfacing is one of a series of practical trials being run under Live Labs 2, a £30M, three-year programme funded by the Department for Transport and coordinated by Adept (the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport). The programme is testing a range of materials and techniques that could lower the carbon footprint and lifecycle costs of local highway networks.
North Lanarkshire Council, working with contractor Amey, is leading the north campus of the Centre of Excellence for Decarbonising Roads (CEDR), which sits within the Live Labs 2 framework. The Motherwell trial follows other recent experiments in the area: in Bellshill, Crofthead Crescent was resurfaced using surfacing that incorporated biochar derived from pyrolysed roadside grass cuttings, a product intended to act as a carbon sink; and in August a two-kilometre "supersite" on Hirst Road, Shotts, compared several innovative surfacing materials against conventional options.
Teams will monitor the Chapelknowe Road section and other sites for five years to assess durability, carbon footprint and lifecycle costs. The Live Labs 2 programme is also trialling a broad slate of measures beyond polymer replacements - including alternative pothole repair materials, lower-carbon road marking paints, cement-free and self-healing concretes, anti-ageing treatments for pavements and anti-icing additives for asphalt.
Project partners said the trials respond to the sizeable embedded carbon in many road components - from bitumen and paints to maintenance vehicles and structural elements - and aim to identify materials that extend asset life or use renewable inputs. The programme is structured around four themes and brings together local authorities, academic institutions and commercial partners; Transport for West Midlands and contractor Colas lead a southern campus to create a national framework for collaboration.
Independent testing over the coming years will be needed to confirm manufacturers' claims on emissions reductions and longevity, and to establish whether recycled-plastic modifiers can be adopted widely without unintended performance or environmental consequences. If successful, the trials could influence future specification of materials for local authority roadworks at a time when councils face pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while managing constrained maintenance budgets.
North Lanarkshire Council environment and climate change committee convener Helen Loughran said: "I'm proud that North Lanarkshire Council is leading the way on this important work. As the only council in Scotland to be involved with Live Labs 2 we really are blazing a trail for others to follow.
"This is a fantastic example of how local authorities can lead the way in tackling climate change. By trialling cutting edge new materials like EcoFlakes and biochar, we're showing that sustainable infrastructure is not only possible but practical."