The northern port city of Hai Phong plans to build the first asphalt road made from recycled plastic in Vietnam by this September.

Vietnam to have the first road made from plastic waste in Hai Phong this September. (Photo for illustration)

The road will be located at the DEEP C Industrial Zones and will be implemented by Dow Vietnam Company in cooperation with DEEP C Hai Phong.

This is the first project to be executed in Vietnam with the aim of recycling used plastic packaging into materials to build more stable and sustainable roads. Furthermore, it also offers a new output market for plastic waste.

The first 1 km long test road, expected to be completed in September, will convert nearly 4 tonnes of plastic packaging (equivalent to around 1 million plastic bags) provided by Dow customers in nearby areas.

After completion, the new road will be evaluated by the Vietnam Maritime University before being expanded within the entire DEEP C Industrial Zones.

The plastic waste used in the project is mainly from flexible plastic packaging such as polyethylene plastic films. After cleaning, drying and grinding, the plastic is mixed with asphalt at a temperature of about 150-180C. At this temperature, the plastic is completely melted and mixed with the asphalt, helping to improve the durability of the road.

Roads made from recycled plastic are also capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by replacing some of the bitumen needed in asphalt.

Previously, Dow has built over 90 km of roads from plastic waste in India, Indonesia, Thailand and the US, laying the foundation for its implementation in Vietnam./.

( VNF/NDO )