Repurposing Single-Use Plastic Waste as Artificial Aggregates Partially Replacing the Natural Fine Aggregate in Concrete — A Review

Abstract

There is a growing increase in the global consumption of plastic in recent times. Reutilization of plastic by recycling is a highly effective solution to manage the increasing plastic waste (PW). Besides, reuse of plastic also helps in improving environmental sustainability. In this context, there is a great demand for the recycled plastics in various applications. This review paper presents an empirical evaluation on the application of single use plastic waste as an artificial aggregate as a replacement to the natural fine aggregate (FA) in concrete mixtures. This review also discusses the influence of mechanical properties on the cementitious composites consisting of plastic waste aggregate (PWA). This paper reviews an overall 135 research papers and illustrates different types of plastics and their application in improving the concrete properties. The review also provides an overview of the works proposed by different researchers and highlights their contribution. In addition, this paper also identifies the research gaps and highlights some of the prominent observations.