A car park belonging to supermarket chain Tesco has been resurfaced using the equivalent weight of 225,000 plastic carrier bags.
Tesco, which worked with plastic road company MacRebur, said the move was part of its search for new ways to re-use waste plastics, reduce carbon and promote a ‘sustainable closed loop system’.
The chain also last year became the first British supermarket to stop selling 5p (US$0.07) single-use plastic bags – a levy introduced by the government in 2015.
The Tesco Extra Cuckoo Bridge store in Scotland was resurfaced using waste plastics that would have been destined for landfill or incineration. The bags were added into an asphalt mix without the need to alter the existing equipment used to make and install the asphalt.
The result is an asphalt performance that has not been compromised and a reduction of 900kg of waste plastics from going landfill or incineration, Tesco said.
“We are working hard to reduce plastics and re-use & recycle wherever possible,” said Kene Umeasiegbu, Tesco head of environment.
“Re-using waste plastics in this way is another example of how Tesco are innovating in the war against waste.”
Tesco will be testing this new road surface out the Cuckoo Bridge store through the winter and says it hopes to work with MacRebur on future projects to help re-use waste plastics.
