Council paves the way for greener roads
Published 22 February 2023
Moreton Bay Regional Council is putting the pedal to the metal when it comes to recycling and reusing materials that would normally end up in landfill by resurfacing roads with a new and innovative ‘green roads’ asphalt.
Mayor Peter Flannery said Esplanade, Deception Bay and Brays Road Griffin were two new examples where Council had stopped over 130 tonnes of waste from landfill, while making huge carbon reductions.
“The world is changing around us, and our population continues to grow, so it’s up to Council to be on the forefront of new green technology that will help preserve Moreton Bay for our children and their children,” he said.
“We’re paving the way by rolling out green road surfaces made partly with recycled materials from glass bottles, plastic containers and old car tyres.
“It’s a win-win because it stops recyclable material ending up in landfill and it helps us reduce our carbon emissions at the same time.
“At Esplanade, Deception Bay Council has managed to divert 130 tonnes of waste from landfill which is the equivalent to 1,627 wheelie bins full, thanks to our contract with Alex Fraser Asphalt.
“We have been working with them and Austek Asphalt to roll out sustainable road resurfacing to help Moreton Bay green as we grow.”
Alex Fraser Queensland Area Manager John Wanneck said every tonne of waste reclaimed is a tonne that doesn’t end up in landfill.
“In this one project at Esplanade, Deception Bay, we’ve managed to recycle roughly 72,000 glass bottles and 15,000 plastic milk containers in the asphalt,” he said.
“The asphalt plant that produced the material is powered by an oil recovered from old tyres, further reducing our environmental impact.
“Roughly 3,000 car tyres were recycled, saving more than 1,000 litres of fuel, and 4,000 kilograms of carbon.”
Austek Asphalt has completed a similar project at Brays Road, Griffin, which doubles as an anti-skid surface, according to Business Manager David Simmons.
“We repurposed 550 old tyres in this one project alone which gave us a savings of 2,672 kilograms of CO2e,” he said.
“This road surface actually helps prevent accidents and improves community safety because it is super durable, and it has a high skid resistance to prevent slipping and skidding on our roads.
“One of the benefits we get from these tyre derived products is that it lasts longer in the road, which provides greater value to Council’s ratepayers as well.”