That's where my mind went first, too. We don't need more plastic in our lives, quite the opposite actually.

It’s already there though.

So let's not spread it around?

It's lying around in open dumping sites otherwise - which is arguably much worse.

This is where you might use a variation of that "healing cracks" bacteria in conjunction with the "eats plastic" bacteria. If you could get the plastic digesting bacteria to excrete rigid oxides, then most of the plastic would be replaced with an interlocking 3d mesh of concrete and rock-like bacteria waste.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09500...

It'd eliminate the plastic waste and leave much more environmentally friendly remains, and it'd be self healing.

I thought I saw somewhere it's also not a reliable load bearing material due to the random composition/possible empty pockets. I should check it they're extruding solid plastic bricks.

Asphalt also emits microparticles during wear and tear, as do tires... It needs to be tested, not assumed.

Aren't a lot of those microparticles just sand? Asphalt is basically just rocks/sand and some tar-ish cemicals to bind them together.

No you should assume it’s a problem until proven otherwise. We only have one environment and shoving anything we please into it without so much as a second thought is exactly what’s led us to our current predicament.

we know that the microparticles are a problem - the assumption that I'm challenging is that plastic is worse than conventional asphalt.

>until proven otherwise a.k.a. testing

Most tires are made from synthetic rubber which also derived from oil.

It could be probably be mitigated with some sort of coating.

It would be more expensive, but it would still allow for the repurposing of waste plastic.

Ah I know, coat it in epoxy!

There must be some applications though. Perhaps in the initial foundation which is probably waterproofed and underground?

Or internal partitioning walls that get painted or plastered over?

Coat it in concrete!

First in epoxy, then concrete, and then concrete mixed with epoxy for good measure.

plastic can be infused with chemicals to not burn, but other than that youre right.

Those chemicals are usually the worst ones, PFAs for example...