Recycled crushed glass to replace virgin quarried sand
Coastal councils Waverley and Great Lakes, home to iconic golden beaches and sandy bottom creeks, are the first in NSW to substitute virgin quarried sand with recycled glass sand in local asphalt and concrete road surfaces.
Waverley Council is working on the construction of two 100-metre sections of road pavement. More than 80 tonnes of crushed recycled glass – the equivalent to 460,000 stubbies or 166,000 wine bottles – are contained in the pavement. Waverley Mayor, Cr. Sally Betts, said she was delighted to see her council lead the state in such an important initiative to help reduce the dependence on virgin sand quarried from the natural environment.
Both projects are the result of partnerships between the councils and the Office of Environment and Heritage, the Packaging Stewardship Forum, the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (NSW) and the Roads and Traffic Authority.
New glass reprocessing plant opens
Great Lakes Council has taken Waverley's green roads effort a step further, with the opening of a new glass reprocessing plant at the Tuncurry Material Recovery Facility, aided by the Packaging Stewardship Forum of the Australian Food and Grocery Council. The construction of two sections of road pavement containing crushed glass at Nabiac and Hawks Nest will use about 100 tonnes of recycled crushed glass, which will come from the facility.
Federal Member for Lyne, Rob Oakeshott MP, officially opened the facility saying, 'This is a great regional solution. It's a win for the environment and the economy and a model that I would recommend to others'.
Road construction uses millions of tonnes of sand each year. By using recycled crushed glass as a replacement for sand natural resources can be saved, valuable material can be diverted from landfill and local markets established for the glass collected.
Further information
Read more about using recycled material for pavements, earthworks and drainage.