Canadian startup tests plastic-infused asphalt at biotech site

Last20, a Canadian social enterprise startup, is testing a prototype of its plastic-infused asphalt at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ expanding corporate campus in Westchester County, New York.

On Nov. 4, Last20 laid 110 tons of pavement blended with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) for the base layer of a new parking lot. The applied asphalt contains about a ton of recycled LDPE from postindustrial commercial uses.

“Our asphalt offers a recycling solution for the plastic film commonly used as a packaging and shipping material at big box stores," Last20 co-founder Lucas Barnes says. "This reuse of LDPEs advances Last20’s mission to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainability in the construction industry."

Last20 replaces a portion of the traditional asphalt mix with LDPE, a hard-to-recycle plastic. India has upcycled plastic waste into pavement for almost two decades, but the practice has been slow to take hold in other parts of the world with cooler climates, according to the company. 

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The asphalt test supports Regeneron’s approach to environmental sustainability, which is focused on energy, emissions, reducing waste and conserving water. The biotech company is working on an expansion of its Tarrytown, New York, campus that includes up to eight buildings, three parking garages and a central utility plant.

The product test is part of the Westchester Innovation Network (WIN), a program launched by the Business Council of Westchester (BCW) that aims to drive economic development, innovation and growth. To complete the BCW/WIN Last20 pilot with Regeneron, BCW brought in a team of experts, including Advance Testing of Campbell Hall, New York, to ensure that the asphalt mix design meets New York’s regulations.

Thalle Industries produced the prototype asphalt at the company’s Fishkill, New York, asphalt plant, and Montesano Brothers delivered the asphalt and did the paving. Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, provided its StartUp Lab incubator for Last20.

“We are considering developing an industrial-scale plastic feeder that can feed the LDPE into large asphalt mixers because doing it by hand is not cost-effective for mass production,” Barnes says.

The BCW’s WIN program helped Last20 secure its collaboration with Regeneron and Thalle Industries, which are both BCW members.

“Our goal is to help nascent innovators throughout North America find established test partners in Westchester County, where innovators can co-create, refine product designs and ultimately establish a base of operations here,” says Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of BCW.

“Special thanks to Wilfrid Laurier University out of … Ontario, Canada, and specifically professor Laura Allan, the faculty advisor for Enactus Laurier and executive director of the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation.  We have been so inspired by their innovations and are pleased to spotlight one of their many successes—Last20—today."

To watch a video by BCW about the project, click here.