The use of granulated plastic waste in structural concrete

This work looked at the ways in which waste plastic can be effectively recycled as an alternative material in concrete production. The granulated plastic waste was used to partially replace fine aggregate (quarry dust) at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% and the concrete formed from the replacement was termed P0, P5, P10, P15 and P20, respectively. Slump tests were used to determine the workability of the wet concrete, while compressive strength, tensile strength, bending moment and deflection tests were carried out on the hardened concrete. The slump test results obtained showed that P20 concrete has shear failure, while the test on hardened concrete showed gradual reduction in concrete strength as more granulated plastic was added to the concrete mix. The work concluded that granulated plastic can partially substitute fine aggregate in concrete up to 20%, and recommended the concrete for lightweight concrete based on defined standards.