Roads being made from bottles- Ociean pollution being used for a road surface

[roadman65]

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/netherlands-to-build-roads-with-recycled-ocean-plastic/ This is really crazy.

[TheArkansasRoadgeek]

I feel as if we will still be in a revolving door with plastic pollution... This may be a good step, but our habits are at the core of our problems. How do you make someone put a plastic bottle in a recycling bin? You don't, it's choice.

[froggie]

It's an interesting topic, but why did this need two threads?

[kalvado]

I can see three problems here: cost, cost, and cost.
Cost of collection - those barricades they mention. Plastic netting, I assume? Collection of raw material, net installation..
cost of processing - separating all the biological stuff
Cost of maintenance - same plastic holds reasonably well as residential carpet, but my gut feeling is that things would get worn out pretty quickly...

[TheArkansasRoadgeek]

I can see three problems here: cost, cost, and cost.
Cost of collection - those barricades they mention. Plastic netting, I assume? Collection of raw material, net installation..
cost of processing - separating all the biological stuff
Cost of maintenance - same plastic holds reasonably well as residential carpet, but my gut feeling is that things would get worn out pretty quickly...

If we truely want to fix this, we would need to all come together and just do it! Forget money, it doesn't cost me a dime to pick a bottle up off the ground, so why should it cost something if we all come together for a "House Cleaning Day"? Sometimes I feel, in regards to Earth (clean up-wise) that we need to be a little less materialistic and more willing to just help out for the greater good...

But, if you don't like that, refer to my signature append to the bottom of this post!

[kalvado]

I can see three problems here: cost, cost, and cost.
Cost of collection - those barricades they mention. Plastic netting, I assume? Collection of raw material, net installation..
cost of processing - separating all the biological stuff
Cost of maintenance - same plastic holds reasonably well as residential carpet, but my gut feeling is that things would get worn out pretty quickly...

If we truely want to fix this, we would need to all come together and just do it! Forget money, it doesn't cost me a dime to pick a bottle up off the ground, so why should it cost something if we all come together for a "House Cleaning Day"? Sometimes I feel, in regards to Earth (clean up-wise) that we need to be a little less materialistic and more willing to just help out for the greater good...

But, if you don't like that, refer to my signature append to the bottom of this post!

Problem is always with "who pays". Do you want $10/mile tolls if that would mean cleaner oceans?  Your call..
Probably "convert into the road" part is a tag-on, trying to show that "it is not just paying for cleanup, this is profitable!".
To make it really work, converting existing bottle collection stream into pavement blocks as they advertise is a nice first step.. That would create a demand for existing bottles (which, as far as I know, are processed at a loss) and demonstrate feasibility of the technology using material with more predictable properties. 

Selling things as being "green" is a modern world way of selling Brooklyn bridge, though.

[adventurernumber1]

This is definitely interesting. 

I am huge on recycling and wanting to reduce pollution, but this specifically does seem a bit strange to me, as I have never heard of it before. I am probably ignorant, but I am not too sure how well using plastic to help build roads would work.