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Updated: Jun 22, 2025

The Effect of Construction and Demolition Waste Plastic Fractions on Wood-Polymer Composite Properties
Published on: June 7, 2020
Evaluating Effectiveness of Multi-Component Waste Plastic Bags on Bitumen Properties: Physical, Rheological, and
Nioushasadat Haji Seyed Javadi1, Soheil Heydari1, Ailar Hajimohammadi1
1School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Abstract:
This study examines the applicability of an unknown composition waste plastic bag sample as bitumen modifier. The waste components were initially characterized to identify the type of plastics and the level of impurity. Asphalt binder performance was examined for rutting, thermal, and age resistance. The results revealed that the waste plastic bags, predominantly consisted of Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) and contained 6.1% impurities. The binder tests indicated that the waste plastic bags enhanced the rutting resistance of bitumen by one grade, with its modification more similar to LLDPE, rather than LDPE. The thermal degradation and aging properties of the modified binders demonstrated that the bitumen modified by the waste plastic bags exhibited slightly lower resistance to temperature and aging compared to virgin LDPE and LLDPE. This was attributed to the impurities contained in the waste plastic. In conclusion, the analyzed waste plastic bags proved to be suitable for use in binder modification, presenting a viable alternative to virgin LLDPE.
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