Uncategorised

Tasmania makes roads from recycled glass

Posted by Rita Mu

Recycled glass containers are being used to build Tasmanian roads.

The new recycling program, which has already been implemented in Western Australia, involves the use of broken glass from households, which are difficult to recycle using conventional methods. The broken glass is crushed into sand-sized fragments and mixed with asphalt, which is then used to reseal, repair or build roads.

The program is part of a partnership between the Australian Food and Grocery Council’s Packaging Stewardship Forum, the Tasmanian Government, Roadways and the Hazell Bros Group.

The Tasmanian Government is currently using recycled crushed glass as a substitute for sand in an $800,000 repair and resealing road project on the East Derwent Highway.

The state’s Minister for Infrastructure, David O’Byrne, said the program was great example of innovative thinking.

“Sand is becoming more difficult to obtain – especially in Southern Tasmania – and recycled crushed glass is seen as an eco-friendly alternative,” O’Byrne said.

“It’s especially fitting to promote this initiative on the eve of World Environment Day, which is celebrated each year on June 5th.”

According to the General Manager of the Packaging Stewardship Forum, Jenny Pickles, more than 13,000 tonnes of glass is recycled in Tasmania annually.

“It’s a win for everyone – less waste to landfill, less extraction of virgin materials, and glass is no longer shipped at high cost to Melbourne for recycling,” she said.

Image: Clarence Council’s Mayor, Jock Campbell, in Hobart with a sample of the recycled glass. Source: themercury.com.au

Send this to a friend