PlasticRoad
Opening of the world's first PlasticRoad bike path. Credit: TOTALPR033a.

The first PlasticRoad bike path, a road made of recycled plastic, has been inaugurated in Zwolle, Overijssel, the Netherlands.

The latest development follows an initiative launched in June, whereby the municipality of Zwolle and the province of Overijssel committed to the first PlasticRoad pilot project.

Located next to Deventerstraatweg between Lindestraat and Verenigingstraat in Zwolle, the first 30m-long PlasticRoad bike path has been built using recycled plastic equivalent to more than 218,000 plastic cups or 500,000 plastic bottle caps.

“A second PlasticRoad bike path pilot in Giethoorn, near the pilot location in Zwolle, is expected to open in November to test its additional features.”

The pilot location has been fitted with sensors to monitor the road’s performance, including temperature, the number of bikes travelling and the durability of the road.

With these sensors, the road has become the first smart bike path in the world.

Inventors of the PlasticRoad Anne Koudstaal and Simon Jorritsma said: “This first pilot is a big step towards a sustainable and future-proof road made of recycled plastic waste. When we invented the concept, we didn’t know how to build a PlasticRoad, now we know.”

The concept of the bike path was presented three years ago in 2015 by road construction firm KWS, a Royal VolkerWessels company.

In 2016, KWS forged a partnership with Wavin and Total for further development of the concept into a product.

A second PlasticRoad bike path pilot in Giethoorn, near the pilot location in Zwolle, is expected to open in November to test its additional features.

In addition to offering a possible solution for waste plastic, the bike path can help to build roads more quickly, with less impact on the surroundings and less CO₂ emissions.