Geo-environmental solution of plastic solid waste management using stabilization process

Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental concerns today. Plastic wastes are usually left unattended and as they resist biodegradation, they pile up in the soil and in the sea environments. Therefore, their recovery and reuse in different applications should be recognized as the best remedial action. This study presents a tangible example of plastic reuse, where a sustainable method is proposed and tested by altering the plastic waste into useful material for soil stabilization. For this purpose, collected waste plastic bags were shredded into strips and they were mixed with clayey soil by 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4% of weight. The effect of adding plastic strips into soil on the mechanical properties of the mixture was then monitored through an experimental survey. Results depicted a meaningful increase in the California bearing ratio (CBR) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) with increased percentage of plastic strips from 0 to 0.4%. The maximum dry density (MDD) was observed at 0.2% of plastic additions. It was concluded that mixing certain amounts of plastic bag strips to the clay samples could improve the geotechnical properties to a level where the mixture could be used as a subgrade layer while providing a useful reuse option that would potentially reduce plastic piling in the environment.