经济学人下载: 回收:塑料公路 (1)

Of all the plastic produced since the 1950s, less than 10% has been recycled.
20世纪50年代以来，产生的所有塑料中，只有不到10%得到回收。

The vast majority ends up being dumped, most of it in landfill.
其中大部分都成了垃圾，大多数都倾倒在了垃圾填埋场。

Some is left to litter the natural environment, where it can get into rivers and wash out into the sea.
一些被丢弃在自然环境中，流进河里，冲刷进海洋里。

The plastic-waste problem will worsen before it gets better: some 380m tonnes of the stuff are likely to be made this year.
塑料废物问题将在出现好转前恶化：今年似乎生产了3.8亿公吨塑料。

That is more than three times as much as the 120m tonnes of bitumen produced annually, most of which goes into building the world's roads.
这是每年生产的1.2亿公吨沥青的三倍还多，大部分沥青都被用于建造世界范围内的公路。

There is a connection. Just as plastic is derived from petrochemicals, bitumen is produced as a by-product of refining oil.
其中有一个联系。塑料源自石油化工产品，而生产出的沥青是精炼油脂的副产品。

Both are polymers, which consist of long strands of molecules bound together firmly.
两者都是聚合物，由紧密相连的分子长链组成。

It is this characteristic that makes plastic strong and contributes to its great longevity.
正是这种特征让塑料牢固且寿命超常。

Such features are also useful for road builders, who use hot bitumen to bind together aggregates made from broken rocks and stones,
这些特点对公路建造者而言也很有用，他们利用热沥青将由碎石子和石头组成的聚合物粘合在一起

into what is commonly known as asphalt. All of which has got some people thinking: why not swap one polymer with another?
制成我们熟悉的柏油。所有这一切不禁让人联想：为什么不将一种聚合物用另一种聚合物替换掉呢？

Recycled plastic is already used to make some products, such as guttering and sewage pipes.
回收塑料已被用于制作一些产品，比如排水沟和排污管。

Now attention is turning to roads. On September 11th in Zwolle, a town in the Netherlands,
现在注意力转向了公路，9月11日，在荷兰的一个城镇兹沃勒

a 30-metre bicycle track made from 70% recycled plastic and the rest from polypropylene was opened.
由70%的回收塑料以及30%的聚合物组成的一条30米长的自行车径通车。

It will be used to test a product called PlasticRoad, which is being developed by two Dutch firms—KWS, a road builder,
这条公路将被用于测试一种被称为塑料公路的产品，由两家荷兰公司研发—公路建造商KWS

and Wavin, a firm that makes plastic piping—in partnership with Total, a French oil-and gas firm.
以及制造塑料管道的公司Wavin—合作方为一家法国油气公司Total。

PlasticRoad is prefabricated in a factory as modular sections.
塑料公路先在一家工厂预先建造组合作为组装节段。

The sections are then transported to the site and laid end to end on a suitable foundation, such as sand.
然后将组装节段运输至场地并将节段以首尾相连的方式铺设在一个合适的地基上，比如沙地。

Because these sections are hollow, internal channels can be incorporated into them for drainage, along with conduits for services such as gas and electricity.
因为这些节段是空心的，所以可以装入排水用的内部沟道以及提供气电的导管。

For the Zwolle project, sections that were 2.4 metres long and 3 metres wide were used.
用于兹沃勒项目的节段长2.4米，宽3米。

These were fitted with sensors to measure things such as temperature, flexing and the flow of water through the drainage channels.
这些节段都配有传感器以测量温度、弯曲程度以及通过排水管道的水流。

A second pilot cycleway is being built in the nearby town of Giethoorn.
第二个试点自行车道将建在附近的希特霍伦。