評論
打印
Of all the plastic produced since the 1950s, less than 10% has been recycled.
20世紀50年代以來，產(chǎn)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，大多數(shù)都傾倒在了垃圾填埋場。
Some is left to litter the natural environment, where it can get into rivers and wash out into the sea.
一些被丟棄在自然環(huán)境中，流進河里，沖刷進海洋里。
The plastic-waste problem will worsen before it gets better: some 380m tonnes of the stuff are likely to be made this year.
塑料廢物問題將在出現(xiàn)好轉(zhuǎn)前惡化：今年似乎生產(chǎn)了3.8億公噸塑料。
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.
這是每年生產(chǎn)的1.2億公噸瀝青的三倍還多，大部分瀝青都被用于建造世界范圍內(nèi)的公路。
There is a connection. Just as plastic is derived from petrochemicals, bitumen is produced as a by-product of refining oil.
其中有一個聯(lián)系。塑料源自石油化工產(chǎn)品，而生產(chǎn)出的瀝青是精煉油脂的副產(chǎn)品。
Both are polymers, which consist of long strands of molecules bound together firmly.
兩者都是聚合物，由緊密相連的分子長鏈組成。
It is this characteristic that makes plastic strong and contributes to its great longevity.
正是這種特征讓塑料牢固且壽命超常。
Such features are also useful for road builders, who use hot bitumen to bind together aggregates made from broken rocks and stones,
這些特點對公路建造者而言也很有用，他們利用熱瀝青將由碎石子和石頭組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?
制成我們熟悉的柏油。所有這一切不禁讓人聯(lián)想：為什么不將一種聚合物用另一種聚合物替換掉呢？
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產(chǎn)品，比如排水溝和排污管。
Now attention is turning to roads. On September 11th in Zwolle, a town in the Netherlands,
現(xiàn)在注意力轉(zhuǎn)向了公路，9月11日，在荷蘭的一個城鎮(zhèn)茲沃勒
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%的聚合物組成的一條30米長的自行車徑通車。
It will be used to test a product called PlasticRoad, which is being developed by two Dutch firms—KWS, a road builder,
這條公路將被用于測試一種被稱為塑料公路的產(chǎn)品，由兩家荷蘭公司研發(fā)—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W(wǎng)avin—合作方為一家法國油氣公司Total。
PlasticRoad is prefabricated in a factory as modular sections.
塑料公路先在一家工廠預(yù)先建造組合作為組裝節(jié)段。
The sections are then transported to the site and laid end to end on a suitable foundation, such as sand.
然后將組裝節(jié)段運輸至場地并將節(jié)段以首尾相連的方式鋪設(shè)在一個合適的地基上，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.
因為這些節(jié)段是空心的，所以可以裝入排水用的內(nèi)部溝道以及提供氣電的導(dǎo)管。
For the Zwolle project, sections that were 2.4 metres long and 3 metres wide were used.
用于茲沃勒項目的節(jié)段長2.4米，寬3米。
These were fitted with sensors to measure things such as temperature, flexing and the flow of water through the drainage channels.
這些節(jié)段都配有傳感器以測量溫度、彎曲程度以及通過排水管道的水流。
A second pilot cycleway is being built in the nearby town of Giethoorn.
第二個試點自行車道將建在附近的希特霍倫。
譯文由可可原創(chuàng)，僅供學(xué)習(xí)交流使用，未經(jīng)許可請勿轉(zhuǎn)載。
