A Nebraska city built a road using 2 million plastic bags

What if millions of discarded plastic grocery bags could help build better roads? In South Sioux City, Nebraska, an innovative experiment is turning plastic waste into pavement. Researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, city leaders, engineers, and construction partners teamed up to create Nebraska’s first road made with recycled plastic bags mixed into asphalt. Follow the journey from floating plastic bags and shredded materials to laboratory testing, asphalt production, and the final paving of Foundry Road. Along the way, scientist Jamilla Teixeira and her research team test whether recycled plastics can improve road durability, reduce cracking, and help communities reuse waste materials in a smarter way. The project uses nearly two million recycled plastic bags and could help reshape how future roads are built in Nebraska and beyond. Featuring: • South Sioux City Administrator Lance Hedquist • UNL researcher Jamilla Teixeira • Engineer Baylor Bestgen • Nebraska roadway innovation and sustainability research Could roads made with recycled plastics become common in the future? #Nebraska #Recycling #Engineering #RoadConstruction #Sustainability #PlasticWaste #Science #Infrastructure #Asphalt #UNL #WhatIfNebraska © 2026 Nebraska Public Media Foundation. All rights reserved. Learn more about the innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship across Nebraska by visiting https://NebraskaPublicMedia.org/WhatIf This video, “A Nebraska city built a road using 2 Million plastic bags” is a part of the 7th season of “What If…Nebraska”. FOLLOW US: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/NebraskaPublicMedia Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NebraskaPublicMedia X (Formerly Twitter): https://x.com/NebPublicMedia Instagram: https://instagram.com/NebraskaPublicMedia