One woman's mission to solve Kansas City's trash problem has turned into an innovative solution for better streets, and she's doing it by turning waste into roads, reported Fox 4 Kansas City.
The lightbulb moment came when Olivia English spent countless hours picking up litter at her landscaping jobs. "Every job I went to, before we could start, it was picking up all of this trash," she told Fox 4. She kept wondering where it all went.
The answer? Landfills. And they're filling up fast.
"The faster that the landfill fills up, the quicker we're going to have to build another landfill," said Rody Taylor, who runs a facility processing hard-to-handle consumer trash.
After deep research, English landed on an unexpected solution: using plastic waste and old tires in road paving.
"Plastic is actually very complementary to road paving," she explained. "You can take a lot of waste out with just a small percentage of what you put into a road."
She teamed up with University of Missouri scientist Bill Buttlar to prove her idea could work.
"Why not use tires from Kansas City or plastics from Kansas City on Kansas City roads?" Buttlar asked.
The team tested three road sections near 113th and State Line, using ground tires in one, plastics in another, and a mix of both in the third. The results? You can't tell the difference from regular roads, and they're holding up beautifully through Missouri winters.
🗣️ Do you think America has a plastic waste problem?
🔘 Definitely 👍
🔘 Only in some areas 🫤
🔘 Not really 👎
🔘 I'm not sure 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Even better, this method uses less traditional materials.
"You need a lot less rock and you need a lot less asphalt, so it's so much better for the environment," Buttlar said.
This approach tackles two problems at once: keeping non-biodegradable waste out of landfills and building stronger roads. It's a perfect example of how creative thinking can turn trash into treasure and save money doing it.
The University of Missouri continues monitoring these test roads using AI software to track their performance. If the success continues, this could become a new standard for road construction, giving communities a smart way to handle waste while building better infrastructure.
"My life goal is to leave this place better than I found it," English told Fox 4. "To help our community, our society, our planet, to see it come to life."
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
