Warrnambool council uses recycled glass for road works

Road works on Walsh Road in Warrnambool, from Ragland Parade to Bradley Street, have used around 60,000 locally recycled glass bottles and jars.

The glass will be used as a substitute for sand in the asphalting process. It was collected from three community glass recycling bins placed around Warrnambool in February as well as from the Moyne Shire’s kerbside glass collection.

Walsh Road is the first in the council to use this method of paving, which includes in-situ foamed bitumen stabilisation.

Council, in conjunction with VicRoads and the Federal Government’s “Roads to Recovery Program” identified the section of Walsh Road between Raglan Parade and Bradley Street as needing a full rehabilitation due to pavement failures.

In total around 15 tonnes of glass was used in the project with about six collected from the three ‘bottle banks’.

For another initiative the council has also been collecting glass from around 3300 properties since February, this glass is held by Wheelie Waste ahead of being graded and crushed for use in local concrete manufacturing.

Warrnambool Mayor Tony Herbert said that this was the latest Council initiative with the aim of reducing the amount of material sent to landfill.

“Local household glass is being processed locally and used on local roads – it’s an ideal recycling scenario,” he said.

He said in 2019 the community made it clear a seperate glass bin was their preferred option for recycling.

“We know that separating glass from other recyclables is one of the most effective ways to reduce contamination and make sure as many recyclable items as possible are re-used.”

The council also implemented the use of food and garden waste bins in 2018 and 2019 which have worked to divert thousands of tonnes of reusable material from landfill each year.

“Processing waste correctly is also a cheaper option than sending material to landfill, with the draft 2020/2021 Council budget including an $11 reduction per property in waste management fees.”

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