Eli5 why we can’t melt plastic down and use it to add to asphalt

Question

I keep reading about how most plastic can’t be recycled and goes to the landfills instead.

With our technology, why can’t we melt it down, using some sort of scrubbers/filters to capture the emissions, and add it to asphalt or other industrial uses?

At the very least it seems like we could reuse that plastic for non food items that are typically used once and tossed.

In: 9

Answer 1

Okay, let’s imagine you have a big toy box with lots of toys inside. Some of these toys are made of a special material called plastic. Now, plastic is like playdough, but it’s very, very tough and strong.

You know how we can melt chocolate to make yummy things? Well, people can melt plastic too. But when they do that, it can create some stuff in the air that is not very nice. It’s like when you cook and sometimes there’s smoke that comes out of the oven.

To make the air nice and clean, grown-ups use special things called scrubbers and filters. These are like magic tools that catch the not-so-nice things and make them disappear before they go into the air. But sometimes, even with these magic tools, it’s still a bit tricky to make the air super clean.

Now, when we melt plastic and try to add it to things like asphalt (which is like the road stuff), it’s like putting a new ingredient into your special playdough. Sometimes, the plastic can change how the road stuff works, and it might not be as safe or strong anymore.

But guess what? Some smart grown-ups are trying to figure out the best way to do this! They’re working on new recipes and ideas to use plastic in things like roads or other stuff. It’s a bit like how you try different ways to build your towers with your blocks.

So, even though it’s a bit tricky right now, the grown-ups are working hard to find ways to use plastic in a super cool and safe way, just like you make your cool creations with your toys!