Post #2557703
2026-04-23 17:52 UTC
Maybe. Ground up plastic has been shown to make roads last longer and work better. The tar/asphalt should keep it “locked in”. I’d be more concerned about the oil in the tar than the plastic aggregate. And asphalt isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Asphalt also gets ground up and recycled into new roads when the road gets replaced.
Most of the environmental plastic waste near roads actually comes from tire dust. Supposedly manufacturers are working on ways to fix that, but I’m not holding my breath. ~~While EVs can be heavier than combustion vehicles, they actually shed less tire dust because of how they slow through regenerative breaking.~~
https://e360.yale.edu/features/tire-pollution-toxic-chemicals
https://ev.com/news/study-reveals-evs-produce-less-brake-and-tire-pollution-with-fewer-non-exhaust-emissions
Replies (3)
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@SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2026-04-23 18:35
> While EVs can be heavier than combustion vehicles, they actually shed less tire dust because of how they slow through regenerative breaking. Nonsense. [EVs burn through tires faster because they are heavy and have a lot of torque.](https://www.automotiveworld.com/articles/inside-the-not-so-hidden-issue-of-higher-tyre-usage-in-evs/) ev.com is just EV marketing.
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@Hello_there@fedia.io 2026-04-23 20:26
Roads erode too. So that dust that's created is just blowing mocroplastics into the surroundings. Reminds me of the oilfield practice of spraying oil water on roads. You just spread the pollution over a wider area.
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@pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 2026-04-23 18:00
Is the sending of the plastic to the mainland just temporary while they study it? That seems like another issue.