A young Scottish firm which has developed a way of making roads out of plastic, and has set out to raise £590,000 development funding from investors on the Seedrs crowdfunding platform, last night announced it had raised £240,000 in the first 48 hours.
MacRebur says its “MR6” bitumen replacement product results can be used to build roads that are stronger than those made from standard asphalt mixes while diverting waste plastic from landfill.
Founded by entrepreneur Toby McCartney and friends Gordon Reid and Nick Burnett, last year, MacRebur is on a mission to disrupt the roads construction industry worldwide with what it described as an eco-friendly and affordable solution.
Mr McCartney, the chief executive of the firm, said “With 40 million kilometres of roads around the world, MR6 could make a massive economic and environmental difference.”
The Dumfriesshire-based firm has been quick to make an impact on the road-building sector.
It has laid roads in Cumbria and Dumfriesshire and generated interest in overseas markets including Australia, South America, Africa and Europe.
The business won the 2016 Virgin Voom award for best UK start up, garnering praise from Sir Richard Branson who said he liked the thought of driving on roads made out of plastic and old rubbish.
The idea for MacRebur was hatched after Mr McCartney saw raw waste plastic being dumped in potholes and melted down while on a visit to India.
The company has developed a more sophisticated method which involves a blend of plastics in pellet form.
Mr Reid is a civil engineer while Mr Burnett is an expert on waste and recycling.
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