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Joosten Group, construction company Heijmans and Rijkswaterstaat are conducting a trial at the A58 motorway with an innovative system that prevents tire grindings from entering the roadside via road-washing rainwater.
Tire grindings, like litter, are a major source of microplastics in the environment. With every rain shower, microscopic rubber particles from the road surface wash into the roadside. A new Dutch innovation, the Eco Roadside Filtration System (ERF), now offers a practical solution: the system captures the unwanted material before it spreads further.
From May 18 to 20, 2026, the first practical trial of the ERF system will take place at test site InnovA58 on the A58 between Eindhoven and Tilburg. The pilot will be carried out by Joosten Group in cooperation with construction company Heijmans. At InnovA58, Rijkswaterstaat is giving market parties space to test innovations in the field of infrastructure and a sustainable living environment.
The number of cars in the Netherlands continues to grow. More cars also means more tires on the road and therefore more tire grindings. While driving, small rubber particles end up on the road surface. When it rains, these particles wash to the roadside.
Joosten Group's ERF system intervenes before the grindings enter the roadside. By filtering the water at the roadside, the tire grindings are captured and water can reach the roadside more cleanly. This has a direct effect on both the quality of the groundwater and the roadside as a natural surface. The result: cleaner roadsides and rainwater that is of value locally against drying out of the subsoil.
“The effects of tire slush can be addressed in this way. With the ERF system, we show that you can tackle the pollution problem where it originates. At the edge of the road. The pilot at InnovA58 is an important step to prove that this system works at scale and makes a structural contribution to cleaner roadsides,” said Marco Hazenkamp, Technical Specialist at Joosten Group.
From May 18 to 20, 2026, the ERF system will be realized for the first time. At Rijkswaterstaat's InnovA58 test site, the parties will bring together theory and practice. In the fall of 2026, the research results will be shared. In early 2027, Joosten Group will present the innovation at Infra-Tech, the leading trade fair for the infrastructure sector.
