Sustainable roads paved with plastic bags

Published on 09 December 2020

Discarded plastic bags are quite literally paving the road to more sustainable construction methods in Hobart.

More than 150,000 plastic bags have been diverted from landfill and transformed into the Reconophalt sustainable asphalt mix, which is currently being used to refurbish Beaumont Road at Lenah Valley.

The product is mixed locally by Downer, which sources plastic bags collected through a partnership with Red Cycle and also incorporates recycled printer cartridges and crushed glass.

“The plastic bags are processed in Melbourne and the crushed glass is sourced from a local supplier and it’s all mixed at the asphalt plant in Flagstaff Gully,” Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said.

“This is the first time we’ve used this product and we’ll be watching closely at how well it performs with the aim of incorporating it into other roads projects in the future."

In addition, the City of Hobart is using 280 tonnes of recycled concrete as backfill material for the stormwater trench.

“The concrete has been reused from other construction projects around the city, preventing it from going into landfill at the tip,” City Infrastructure Committee Chair Bill Harvey said. “It also results in a considerable cost saving when compared to purchasing new concrete fill material.

“With further testing to make sure it meets all the right standards, we may even be able to use recycled concrete for future footpath repairs and upgrades.”

The City of Hobart has also recently used recycled glass in pipe bedding and fill material in a stormwater upgrade at Sandy Bay.

Fast facts:

Approximately 260 tonnes of Reconophalt estimated to be used for the Beaumont Road project, comprising: