And the streets were lined with… recycled plastic

Car bumper bars and other plastic items are being diverted from landfill to resurface roads in the City of Melbourne. Lord Mayor Sally Capp said five prominent Melbourne streets would be paved with asphalt made from recycled plastics.

“The paving on these historically significant streets will look exactly the same as any other street. The difference is that using plastic in the asphalt creates demand for recycled products,” she said.

“We collect 11,000 tonnes of residential recycling each year. Using a mix of plastic to resurface our streets is one way we can support the circular economy and reduce landfill.”

Flinders Street was the first road in the City of Melbourne to be resurfaced using recycled plastic, with works occurring between Exhibition Street and Spring Street last month.

Sections of Anderson Street in South Yarra have also been resurfaced, with further works on Alexandra Avenue in South Yarra to be completed imminently.

Further works will be completed on sections of Spring Street next year between Little Collins Street and Little Bourke Street and Flinders Street and Collins Street.

Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood said the paving consists of 50% recycled plastics and other recyclable materials such as slag aggregates and recycled asphalt products (RAP), with the rest made of virgin materials.

“The trial will allow us to assess whether we can use more recycled materials and plastic when we resurface our roads,” the Deputy Lord Mayor said.

The trial is a joint initiative of the City of Melbourne, its subsidiary Citywide and the Citywide North Melbourne Asphalt Plant using plastic waste sourced from metropolitan Melbourne.

The Deputy Lord Mayor said the trial was an important step towards building a circular economy.

“The City of Melbourne uses 10,000 tonnes of asphalt annually and we resurfaced eight kilometres of road last year. This trial will help us understand whether it’s possible to use recycled plastic in more of our major projects,” he said.

“This is an example of how we can work towards building a circular economy. By using recycled plastic and other recycled materials on our roads we’re creating more sustainable infrastructure and showing there are local markets for recycled materials.”

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