Waste Cellophane and Plastics as a Modifier in Asphalt Concrete Mixtures: An Eco-Friendly Approach to Sustainable Infrastructure

Abstract

This research explores the innovative utilization of post-consumer waste cellophanes and flexible plastics, typically relegated to municipal landfills, as a functional modifier in hot-mix asphalt (HMA) concrete mixtures. This approach directly aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on environmental sustainability, innovation, and resilient infrastructure. The experimental design involved processing post-consumer flexible thin-film packaging waste into shredded fragments and introducing them into a standard asphalt concrete mix via a dry-to-wet hybrid mixing sequence. The baseline control mixture comprised 69.60 g bitumen (AC-60/70), 734.76 g coarse aggregates, 305.21 g fine aggregates, and 90.43 g filler material. Waste plastics and cellophanes were integrated at target dosages of 1%, 2%, and 3% by volume of the binder phase to evaluate volumetric, physical, and mechanical transitions. The modified asphalt composites exhibited systematically reduced bulk densities ranging from 2.280 g/cm3 down to 2.157 g/cm3 and stable water absorption profiles between 0.224% and 0.397%. Notably, absolute Marshall Stability values experienced an upward shift up to 3,620.80 lbs with the inclusion of the plastic wastes compared to a baseline control of 3,202.38 lbs. Statistical evaluation via Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that while the density reductions were highly significant (p < 0.001), the structural stability variations remained statistically non-inferior to traditional design configurations (p > 0.05). This study validates a circular-economy pathway to mitigate non-biodegradable waste accumulation while engineering lightweight, durable pavements