Experimental Study on Soils Stabilized with Two Types of Plastic Waste

Abstract

The reuse and recycling rates for plastics are still below desirable values. The valorisation of plastic wastes that presently end in landfills or is incinerated can help to mitigate this environmental problem. There have been studies in soil improvement using plastic waste. Two types of plastic waste were used to assess their ability to improve soil properties for embankment construction and pavement layers. The selected plastic wastes are made from shredded package labels and ground bottles. The main properties of the soils were characterized. Three percentages of plastic waste were used, and the bearing capacity of the soil determined using CBR test (California Bearing Ratio). The results from the tests show that plastic waste stabilization leads to an increase in bearing capacity, expressed in CBR values, for low contents of plastic waste. This increase was more effective for high penetration values. Reduction in the bearing capacity was observed for higher plastic waste contents. Maximum dry unit weight decreased with increasing plastic waste content, whereas expansion increased with increasing plastic waste content.
 Keywords: Soil stabilization, Plastic waste, CBR test, Compaction, Earthworks