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The company replaces a portion of bitumen, the common binding agent in traditional pavement, with low-density polyethylene. India has been upcycling plastic waste into pavement for almost two decades, but it hasn't been until recently in 2018 that pilots have been initiated in other parts of the world, and in cooler climates.

Last20 will partner with the Yonkers Department of Public Works to test asphalt made with recycled plastics. The plastic-infused pavement will be tested by the Department of Public Works as part of the Westchester Innovation Network.

In 2018, siblings Lauren Barnes (BBA '21) and her brother Lucas (BBA '18) co-founded Last20. Their social enterprise started as a sustainable clothing brand. By 2019, the Barnes duo was on the lookout for new and inventive uses for plastic, all to help keep plastic out of landfills. They ended up launching Last20 Pavement, which is focused on creating plastic-infused pavement.

Lauren Barnes, a business administration student in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, and her brother, Lucas, a recent graduate of the same program, have spent the past few years finding new and inventive uses for plastic that would otherwise end up in landfills.

Last20, a Canadian social enterprise is going to partner with the Yonkers Department of Public Works and test plastic-infused asphalt in New York. This project will be the first-of-its-kind in New York and will help reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills, oceans, and waterways.