Plastic bags and glass bottles have been transformed into a Craigieburn road as part of an Australian-first trial.
The trial by Hume council, road maker Downer and recycling companies Close the Loop and RED group, has converted 200,000 plastic bags, 63,000 glass bottle equivalents, toner from 4500 used printer cartridges and 50 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt into 250 tonnes of asphalt.
The new asphalt has been laid on Rayfield Avenue in Craigieburn, and will be monitored over the coming years to see how the surface performs over time.
Downer road services executive general manager Dante Cremasco said the new asphalt had a 65 per cent improvement on fatigue life and a superior resistance to deformation compared to traditional asphalt.
He said the 250 tonnes of asphalt used on Rayfield Avenue contained the equivalent of 10 year’s worth of glass and soft plastics consumption for that street.
Mr Cremasco said the product was a response to the escalating recycling crisis, by finding another use for soft plastics and glass.
“It will solve a waste problem from a soft plastic bag and glass perspective for 10 years,” he said.
“We are proud to announce that we have solved a problem … with every step we have taken to produce the product that we are putting out on the road today, it is an assurance that it won’t be a problem for future generations.”
Hume mayor Geoff Porter said the council was proud to be home to Australia’s first road made from soft plastics and glass diverted from landfill.
“This is just one way we are working in partnership in response to recycling industry concerns and highlights the importance of residents and businesses recycling material, particularly soft plastics and glass, properly,” he said.
