London council paves roads with recycled bottles

  • 26/02/2018

A London council plans to resurface all its roads with recycled bottles in an effort to reduce plastic waste.

Enfield Council, an authority for the north London borough of Enfield, announced its intention to pave local roads with an innovative substitute for tarmac consisting of asphalt and plastic.

The council says the mixture is more durable than standard tarmac, and could also reduce the number of potholes. The plan is intended to cut down on the number of plastic bottles going into landfill by giving them a second life.

Enfield is the first London council to use the potentially revolutionary product.

Its plans have received funding from Transport for London after successfully resurfacing one road, which is a busy bus route. 

Enfield Council's Cabinet Member for Environment, Daniel Anderson, says they are "delighted" with their first efforts at paving, and hope to use the environmentally friendly mixture on more of the borough's roads in the future.

"We all know that plastics can have a devastating impact on the environment, particularly when the product reaches our seas and oceans," he said in a statement. 

"We all have a responsibility to step up our efforts to help the environment by recycling more, upcycling and responsibly sourcing materials."

More paving is anticipated to commence within the next month.

Newshub.