ABSTRACT
Waste pollution is a critical environmental challenge faced by countries worldwide, and Nigeria is no exception. Plastic waste has become a global environmental concern due to its persistence, non-biodegradability, and harmful impact on ecosystems. Rapid urbanization, population growth, industrial activities, and inadequate waste management infrastructure have contributed to the escalating problem of waste pollution in Nigeria. In this study fine aggregate is replaced with pulverized plastic at various replacement levels in concrete. In this study a concrete mix with target mean strength of 30N/mm² was designed and the fine aggregate was partially substituted with Pulverized PET plastic at replacement percentages of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%, the resulting concrete was then cast into cubes and beams of in the laboratory and cured 7, 14, and 28 days. When fine aggregate was partially replaced with pulverized plastic, the result obtained at 5% replacement proved to be the most optimum with a compressive strength of 20.782N/mm², 24.096N/mm², and 27.081N/mm² after 7days, 14days and 28days respectively, a flexural strength of 0.52N/mm², 0.60N/mm² and 0.76N/mm² after 7days, 14days, and 28days respectively. From this study it is seen that, pulverized plastic can partially replace the fine aggregate, there by contributing to reduce the impact of sand mining. As this concrete reduces the raw material usage and ill-effects on environment, it can be considered as an eco-friendly concrete.
