U.K.-based paving company Oltco recently hit a new milestone with Recycle Bound -- a new resin-bound paving solution designed to incorporate recycled plastic waste among conventional stone and other required aggregates.
As of this fall, Oltco has achieved the recycled equivalent of 1 billion plastic straws via pavement installation projects across the country, most notably in the High Wycombe area near London, according to Bucks Free Press. The Recycle Bound product has helped revamp countless driveways, patios, footpaths, courtyards, and other commercial and residential spaces since its conception in 2019.
Oltco describes Recycle Bound as its strongest solution yet, with unparalleled tensile strength and immense durability against moisture and high temperatures. This recycling-driven resin surfacing leaves behind a tailored finish that's easy for customers to maintain and fully permeable, allowing excess water to efficiently drain through in compliance with urban safety requirements.
But what makes Oltco's Recycle Bound most remarkable is its dedication to reducing plastic pollution for a sustainable, long-term impact. According to the Oltco website, each square meter of Recycle Bound repurposes the equivalent of 3,000 plastic straws or 100 plastic bottles -- a substantial amount, considering that the average home recycles about 270 plastic bottles each year.
A 2024 Greenpeace report indicates that only 17% of the U.K.'s plastic waste is properly recycled, which means the remaining 83% is either incinerated, shipped away, or left to accumulate in landfills.
Oltco's recycling efforts help keep plastic waste -- from old takeout containers to drink bottles to straws to miscellaneous packaging -- out of landfills, where they would otherwise contribute to the buildup of planet-heating gases like methane and the release of other contaminants into the nearby soil and groundwater.
In the long run, unbarred plastic pollution even has the potential to seep into our food and water supply and affect our health, so supporting recycling-friendly companies like Oltco -- while cutting down on the amount of plastic we consume in the first place -- is essential to the protection of our bodies as well as our planet.
"It's incredibly inspiring to be part of something that's making such a positive impact, not just here in High Wycombe, but across the country," Oltco director Adrian Eyre told Bucks Free Press. "The response to Recycle Bound has been fantastic, and it's clear that the community is truly passionate about sustainability."