Paving made from LDPE plastic waste, agricultural mulch waste and hot sand, case study of potato farming in the Dieng plateau

Abstract

LDPE plastic waste, prevalent in single-use products, poses significant environmental challenges. Repurposing this waste into paving materials provides an eco-friendly solution. The LDPE waste was cleaned, shredded, and mixed with hot sand in ratios of 60%-40%, 65%-35%, and 70%-30%. The mixtures were sintered at 120°C for 15 minutes and tested according to ISTM C140/C140M standards. The results demonstrate that increasing LDPE content enhances compressive strength. The 70%-30% mix exhibited the highest compressive strength at 36 MPa, whereas the 60%-40% mix showed the lowest at 30 MPa. Regression analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between LDPE content and compressive strength (R2 = 0.79), corroborated by T-tests and ANOVA. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r = 0.89) further indicated a robust relationship. These findings support the utilization of LDPE as a sustainable and effective material for paving applications.