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

Noted I don’t know much about the science and engineering around roads or plastics, but my first thought is asphalt to a certain degree absorbs water and I question how adding plastic to that could impact that on roadways, causing more flooding and hyrdoplaining. Maybe it’s a suitable idea for different climates though??