SA’s first plastic road officially opens

Motorists will finally be able to make use of South Africa’s first and only plastic road as of March, 2020. The project aimed at recycling thousands of kgs of plastic to create a sustainable road that will last longer. The project started in March 2019.

The Kouga Municipality is the first to trial the concept of a plastic road, made from recycled plastic materials broken down into pellets.

Since news of the idea reached the rest of the country, there has been talk of opening a factory in Kouga and spreading the plastic road trend throughout South Africa.

Done in partnership with Scottish company MacRebur, who specialise in plastic roads, the new development along Woltemade Street in Jeffreys Bay is expected to last substantially longer than conventional roads and save money in upkeep.

A new factory in the area could resolve South Africa’s general road upkeep problem as well as create jobs and use plastic in a positive and sustainable way.

Roughly 1.5 tonnes or 1500kg of plastic are used to complete just 1km of road, this is equal to 1.8-million plastic shopping bags.

If you’re visiting Jeffreys Bay, be sure to take a turn down Africa’s first eco-friendly road.