Reuse of plastic waste as building materials to enhance sustainability in construction: a review

Substantial growth in the utilization of plastic has increased tremendously in recent years, which may lead to the disposal of tons of plastic waste into the environment. Recycling of such plastic waste to utilize as a substitute aggregate in the construction materials like bricks, mortar, and concrete was considered as one of the feasible solutions in plastic waste management. It additionally aids to reduce the mining of minerals for raw materials in the construction industry, which might enhance sustainability. We must comprehend the strength, weakness, opportunities and threat (SWOT Analysis) of plastic-induced building material with regard to their strength features and socio-economic benefit in order to use plastic waste as an aggregate commercially. Several works have been performed or are underway to evaluate the strength characteristics of construction material that includes various types of plastic waste as an aggregate. This paper presents a summary of such research works by examining their physical, mechanical, and durability properties along with resistance to alkali conditions and Fire resistance was discussed in separate sections. Along with that, the study analyzes the relationship between the different strength properties and is represented graphically. The review analysis reveals that the different authors achieved different results, but most of the authors achieved standard requirements, while some authors do not achieve the standard requirements. The review concludes that the utilization of plastic waste in minimal quantities (10–20%) helps to achieve the desired results and recommends several research points, which helps, in future, research to commercialize these plastic-induced construction materials.