Schiphol paves its roads and parking bays with recycled plastic
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has paved a road section and several parking bays with a surface material from recycled plastic that was gathered at the airport. The plastic road surface is a circular innovation that collects rainwater, purifies it and then releases it gradually into the ground.
By Schiphol
The road and parking bay job is part of a pilot to see if this system will be a good alternative to standard asphalt and concrete roads in the future. The pilot is also intended to find out if the technology helps improve water drainage and buffering. If the outcome is positive, this technology will help contribute to a more sustainable airport infrastructure.
The project is a collaboration between Schiphol, PlasticRoad, PreZero and VolkerWessels Infra Schiphol. The first road and parking bays the were built are located close to the Kaagbaan Tunnel. At the end of the year, another section of plastic road surface will be laid next to one of the runways.
The specially designed road surface (a product of PlasticRoad) that is used gives the same driving performance as asphalt. The plastic road surface is a circular innovation that collects rainwater, purifies it and then releases it gradually into the ground. This means an improved water balance, a water buffer when there’s heavy precipitation and better groundwater levels. The first stretch of road constructed consists of 2,571 kilos of recycled plastic and the design ensures that 43,200 litres of water can be stored in this part of the road.
