The Social Science Dimension: Civil Engineers, Plastic-based Paving Blocks, and the Circular Economy in Indonesia

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-543-0_26How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Circular Economy; Civil Engineering; Community-Level Waste Sorting; Plastic-Based Paving Blocks; Plastic Waste

Abstract

This article explores the socio-technical dimension of civil engineering in Indonesia’s necessary transition from a linear take-make-dispose model to a Circular Economy (CE), driven by acute crises in plastic pollution and resource-intensive construction. The focus is on the innovation of paving blocks utilizing waste plastics, representing a high-impact intervention to transform pollution into durable infrastructure. The shift to CE in construction mandates material innovations, such as using recycled plastic, which can reduce reliance on virgin materials and potentially enhance infrastructure resistance to cracking and moisture, particularly in Indonesia’s tropical climate. Beyond the technical feasibility, this innovation addresses social challenges. Community-level waste sorting movements, like those in Semarang City, Indonesia demonstrate successful CE implementation by generating local economic activity and supplementary income for Neighborhood Association (RT) funds from the sale of sorted plastic and cardboard. This highlights the role of social mechanisms in creating a consistent feedstock supply. However, significant hurdles remain. Technically, the test results for the 60% plastic, 30% sand, and 10% used oil composition yield an average compressive strength of 2.5-4 MPa, which is substantially below the Indonesian National Standard (SNI 03-0691-1996) range of 10-40 MPa, requiring further optimization. Socio-economically, successful scaling demands the formalized integration of the informal sector for consistent, high-quality plastic supply and widespread market acceptance. Ultimately, realizing the full potential of this innovation requires a synergistic approach, bridging technical expertise, social empowerment, and strong government standardization and procurement policies.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Putri Anggi Permata Suwandi
AU  - Agung Kristiawan
AU  - Ibnu Toto Husodo
AU  - Lintang Enggartiasto
AU  - Ahmad Fadhil Yusof
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/26
TI  - The Social Science Dimension: Civil Engineers, Plastic-based Paving Blocks, and the Circular Economy in Indonesia
BT  - Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Education and Social Science Research (ICESRE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 314
EP  - 325
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-543-0_26
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-543-0_26
ID  - Suwandi2026
ER  -