PLASTIC BEYOND WASTE: REPURPOSING A PETROCHEMICAL BY-PRODUCT IN THE AGE OF CLIMATE CRISIS
PLASTIC BEYOND WASTE: REPURPOSING A PETROCHEMICAL BY-PRODUCT IN THE AGE OF CLIMATE CRISIS

Summary/Abstract: This paper critiques the repurposing of plastic waste in in-frastructure, specifically road construction, not as a circular economy break-through but as a structural “spatial fix” for the fossil fuel industry. As energymarkets decarbonize, the “Fossil-Plastic Nexus” is pivoting to petrochemi-cals, creating a waste surplus that mechanical recycling cannot absorb. Em-ploying a political ecology framework and comparative analysis of engineer-ing data, the study evaluates the viability of the “Infrastructure Solution.”Results indicate a “feasibility-necessity paradox”: while incorporating plasticinto roads improves mechanical durability and offers a cost-effective sink forlegacy waste, it risks locking economies into a “Recycling Paradox” wherethe valorization of waste incentivizes continued virgin production. Life CycleAssessments reveal that while substituting plastic with traditional materialsoften spikes carbon emissions, the “infrastructure fix” introduces new risksof microplastic shedding and “waste colonialism” by exporting pollution tothe Global South. The paper concludes that repurposing must be restricted to“legacy containment” within a strict hierarchy of intervention, subordinatedto the ultimate goal of a global cap on virgin plastic production

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