On November 21, 2024, AMSA attended the 8th National Congress of Municipal Engineering, a key event for discussing future urban challenges in the field of municipal infrastructure.
Mr. Josep Ramón Escur participated in the presentation “Sustainable Paving in Barcelona: Cases of Pg. Verneda and Josep Soldevila,” alongside Ms. Elia Saez (Barcelona City Council) and Mr. Albert Cruz (SOCOTEC).
During the presentation, innovative sustainable paving solutions applied in the city of Barcelona were showcased, highlighting the use of recycled materials and advanced techniques to reduce the environmental impact of road surfacing.
At AMSA, we remain committed to innovation and sustainability in the road construction sector.
Access the full ITEC article (Spanish)
26/11/23 – The Barcelona City Council has installed a new pavement on Josep Soldevila Street, in the Sant Andreu district, incorporating traces of non-recyclable plastics that had already reached the end of their useful life and toner waste from printer ink production. This is a pilot test to assess the product’s resistance to traffic and calculate the reduction of CO2 during its production.
14 tons less of CO2 The aim of the measure is to continue improving the sustainability of street asphalt, according to the city council. In fact, the City Council estimates that the new pavement on Josep Soldevila Street has resulted in a reduction of 14 tons of CO2 compared to traditional asphalt. Access to the complete news in beteve (Catalan)
24/11/2023 – The production of this new material emitted 14 tons less CO2 compared to traditional asphalt. This new material is more resistant than standard pavements and performs better under bus traffic. A total of 3,717 kilograms of non-recyclable plastics were used, equivalent to 2,478 household trash bags full of plastic.
As part of the pavement maintenance contract, the Barcelona City Council has installed a new asphalt pavement on Josep Soldevila Street, in the Sant Andreu district. This material incorporates, on the one hand, traces of non-recyclable plastics that had already reached the end of their useful life, and on the other hand, waste from toner ink production for printers.
This new pavement is part of a pilot test to assess its resistance to traffic and to measure the reduction of CO2 during its production. The goal of the initiative is to further improve the sustainability of street asphalt. Access to the complete news in Aj. Barcelona (Catalan)
Sections of about 300 meters long of the GIV-5132 road, at the height of Vilavenut (Fontcoberta area), are being repaved with bituminous mixtures containing an additive made from recycled plastic. This is a pilot test on an interurban road, similar to the one done two years ago on the Dalmau promenade in Banyoles. The initiative was led by the company Agustí Masoliver SA Amsa from Banyoles and the Provincial Council, which is the road’s owner. “The plastic additive, properly treated and stored,” explain the company’s representatives, “is incorporated along with aggregates and bitumen into the mixer and acts as a complement to the bitumen.” The formula, developed in collaboration with the British company MacRebur, allows for a second life for a material (plastic) that would have ended up in the landfill, they argue, while emphasizing that the final asphalt is very resistant. “There is no difference, either in terms of visual appearance or quality, between the bituminous mixtures that reuse plastics and conventional ones. Additionally, this new mixture has the guarantee of the CE certificate,” said Lluís Agustí, CEO of Amsa, at the press presentation of the test yesterday at noon.
THE QUOTE: “There is no difference, either in terms of visual appearance or quality, with conventional mixtures.” Lluís Agustí (AMSA)
The Vilavenut road, within the municipality of Fontcoberta, will have a new asphalt paving starting tomorrow. It concerns two sections of the GIV-5132, which is managed by the Girona Provincial Council and had some points that were a bit degraded. Due to the need for repaving, the Girona Provincial Council decided to choose this road to carry out a pilot project where part of the material used to make the asphalt comes from recycled plastic bottles. The CEO of AMSA, Lluís Agustí, explained that for this mixture, they purchase plastic that is completely free of organic waste, metals, or any other contaminants. Once they have it, they treat it so that it melts properly when making the bitumen and mixes well with the aggregates to create asphalt. On the other hand, the price of this system is not higher than conventional asphalt. According to Agustí, the rise in oil prices makes the cost difference less significant when using recycled plastic, despite the treatment it undergoes to clean it from impurities. In parallel, Lluís Agustí explained that the company continues to investigate new formulas to use more plastic and recycle even more waste that would otherwise be sent to the incinerator or landfill.
The City Council of L’Escala has reused 1200 kilos of waste plastic for the new pavement of the parking lot at Plaça Nova, which has undergone a renovation.
The plastics have been incorporated into the asphalt mix, a more sustainable asphalt that, according to the City Council, reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 1,860 kg compared to conventional asphalt. With this new formula, plastics that have already reached the end of their useful life and could not be recycled, have an alternative to being sent to the landfill or incineration.
The City Council of Barcelona has the mission of transforming the streets of the city, creating a sustainable infrastructure system that uses plastic waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
The next phase of its city-wide program has begun, with the announcement of transforming five stretches of bus lanes on Avenida Diagonal, which will be repaved. The works are being carried out by the construction company Agustí y Masoliver SA (AMSA), using an exceptionally sustainable product created by the new and innovative British company MacRebur in partnership with AMSA.
Access to the complete news in Interempresas (Spanish)
The City of Barcelona has started a pilot project consisting of placing a new pavement made from non-reusable plastic waste on the Paseo de la Verneda.
According to the Barcelona City Council in a statement, the use of non-reusable plastics to make the pavement helps reduce CO2 emissions that would be emitted, both during the manufacturing of the material for the asphalt and during the subsequent treatment of the plastic.
Access to the complete news in El Periódico (Spanish)
The City of Barcelona has installed a new pavement on Passeig de la Verneda that incorporates non-recyclable plastics that have reached the end of their useful life and therefore could not be reused. It has been installed in the Bon Pastor neighborhood, in the Sant Andreu district, and is part of a pilot project to assess its resistance to heavy traffic and measure the CO2 reduction. The work has been carried out in the section within the municipal boundaries of Barcelona, but it is planned to be extended to the section in Sant Adrià de Besòs.
Natural resources are scarce, and the frenetic production system in which we live does not help give the planet a break. That is why initiatives like the one we present below are more necessary than ever. The Vallensana road, a stretch that starts at Can Ruti and connects Badalona with Montcada, has become the first road in continental Europe to be paved with plastic waste.
Sant Fost began this Monday the work to asphalt the path crossing the Bòbila with 150 kilos of plastics from selective collection, which were originally destined for the landfill. The project, pioneering in the country in terms of using this material, is carried out by the Sant Fost company Amsa, a specialist in asphalt production for more than a century.
Just two weeks ago, AMSA paved 5.5km of the Vallensana road connecting Badalona and Montcada i Reixach with recycled plastic, reusing the previous asphalt. This new component reduces waste and CO2 emissions for the company while creating a road that allows more traffic and heavier vehicles. All advantages!
A municipality in Girona is paving the Dalmau promenade with a material made from plastic waste.
The plastic that would have ended up in a landfill is getting a second life.
This is the first street in Spain paved with this type of material.
Access the complete news on NIUS (Spanish)
Andreu Agustí, CEO of Agustí i Masoliver, SA, said: “This is an important step forward in Spain’s sustainability agenda. If we are going to decarbonize our economy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2050, we need to start thinking innovatively and supporting new ways of working more sustainably. The Vallensana BV-5011 road has a daily traffic of 2,150 vehicles and is an important road in the area. And this is just the beginning, as we have plans to deploy more plastic roads throughout the country from our base in Sant Fost de Campsentelles (Barcelona) in the coming years.”
Access the complete news on ‘Interempresas’ (Spanish)
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The company Agustí Masoliver SA, AMSA, specializing in public works, is paving Dalmau promenade in Banyoles with an aggregate that contains an additive made from recycled plastic, replacing bitumen. This is the first time in Spain that this ingredient has been used for this purpose, according to the company and the City Council, during the presentation of the initiative. Its cost and durability are similar to conventional asphalt, but it is expected to have greater longevity…
Access the full news from El Punt Avui (Catalan)
To reduce pollution, the capital of Pla de l’Estany, Banyoles, has started using asphalt made, in part, from plastic. These are plastics that can no longer be recycled and would have ended up in a landfill or incinerated. They arrive here sorted, cleaned, and crushed, and are incorporated into the bitumen needed to make the asphalt. This solution was developed in Scotland and has already been implemented in countries such as Australia and the United States.
Rac1 – News 13/06/2022.
Radio Nacional de España – Girona 14/06/2022.
Catalunya al dia, the daily regional news broadcast at 13:00 on Catalunya Informació, with Marta Romagosa. 
Catalunya al dia 22/09/2021.
