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Canadian startup begins plastic-infused asphalt trials

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY – Plastic-infused asphalt from Last20, a Canadian social enterprise startup, has entered the testing phase at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ corporate campus in Westchester County, NY.

The trial phase began on Nov. 4, and involved the laying of 110 tons of pavement blended with roughly one ton of recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The blend was used to provide the base layer of a new parking lot.

LDPE is a hard-to-recycle plastic that is typically used as a material for packaging and shipping at big box stores. While mixing LDPE into asphalt by hand is not cost-effective at scale, Lucas Barnes, co-founder of Last20, said the startup is considering the development of an industrial-scale plastic feeder to feed the material into large asphalt mixers as a solution to this issue.

This testing is a part of the Westchester Innovation Network, a program launched by the Business Council of Westchester (BCW). The BCW has brought in a team of experts to ensure that Last20’s asphalt mix meets state regulations.