Launched in 2018 as an innovative provider of infrastructure solutions, PlasticRoad today has become a full-fledged business that develops and manufactures plastic paving for parking spaces, cycle and footpaths with a focus on sustainability and circularity. To mark that success and to underline this focus, the company has today announced that it has changed its name to CirculinQ.
CirculinQ, a joint venture between VolkerWessels and Wavin, has created a line of paving products consisting of prefabricated modular elements featuring recycled materials that are designed as ‘climate-adaptive infrastructure solutions’ for extreme weather, local water issues and sustainable water management. A CirculinQ road can buffer excess water, which then gradually infiltrates into the subsoil, providing a climate-proof solution for flooding and drought caused by extreme weather conditions. The company manufactures its plastic road elements on an industrial scale, from materials based on 100% recycled municipal plastic waste.
Installation of a CirculinQ road has far less of an environmental impact than traditional road construction as no sub-base or heavy structure is required - the elements are laid directly in the sand bed. Moreover calculations have shown that CO2 emissions from a CirculinQ road are up to 72% lower compared to conventional paving
The products offer such innovations as a filter system that completely removes the need for a dedicated storm sewer, or SMART sensors that increase the element’s functionality by connecting these to existing traffic management systems for traffic monitoring purposes and other predictive insights. They optimise the use of available space by serving as paving, but also providing water storage opportunities, drainage systems and cable storage options.
Currently widely used, for example to construct car parks, cycle paths or footpaths, these are products that can be found in many places, both at home and abroad, said managing director Jeroen Oudshoorn. As the thinking about water management, climate change and the need for a different approach continues to gain momentum, ‘we will continue to invest in a wider product line’, he promised.