Review of the Utilization of Plastic Wastes as a Resource Material in Civil Engineering Infrastructure Applications

The world is being burdened with excessive usage and indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste. The world presently produces nearly 400 million tons of plastic every year: less than 10% is recycled, 8% is incinerated, and the rest is dumped in landfills. The reduction of plastic has become a significant challenge due to the lower degradation rate. A substantial amount of this waste turns out to be litter in the oceans or landfills due to limited recycling or reuse in an environmentally friendly way. Compared with incineration and landfilling processes, recycling plastic waste is more productive. Hence, the utilization of plastic waste in civil engineering applications is found to have the maximum potential for consumption in bulk quantities, which can also help in minimizing disposal issues. This article reviews the characteristic properties of waste plastic and its utilization in civil engineering applications, specifically in bricks, blocks, road embankment, pavement layers, plastic aggregates, and voided slabs, which are systematically comprehended with various international standards. The use of waste plastic either retained or slightly improved the properties of the materials to which it is added. The paper also discusses the leaching properties of different kinds of plastic waste; their limitations along with probable opportunities associated with plastic waste utilization. (C) 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.