WA's City of Cockburn trials recycled asphalt

The City of Cockburn in Western Australia is trialling the use of recycled asphalt in a new coastal community south of Perth.

Selected roads in Frasers Property’s newly developed Port Coogee will be sealed with Reconophalt, a road-surfacing material made from plastic bags, toner cartridges, crumb rubber from car tyres and recycled asphalt pavement.

Claimed to be a WA first, the trial is an example of how local government and the private sector can collaborate and innovate with new environmentally friendly methods.

City of Cockburn Waste Education Officer Nicki Ledger said, “The City is proud to support this trial by Frasers Property and Densford Civil, the first of its kind in WA, and will certainly be looking to continue using Reconophalt in Cockburn in the future.

“We believe it is vital to encourage the use of recycled materials wherever possible, to stimulate the development of recycling industries here in Australia,” she said.

Downer Group will supply the road-surfacing material for the project, which will be installed by Densford Civil.

Reconophalt comprises a variety of recycled waste materials including: recycled plastic bags collected through the REDcycle program in supermarkets; waste toner from printer cartridges, collected through Close the Loop collection points; crumb rubber from car tyres; and recycled asphalt pavement. In addition to its environmental benefits, Reconophalt lasts longer than standard asphalt, with a 65% improvement in durability.

Stuart Gardiner, General Manager — Residential WA at Frasers Property Australia, said innovations such as this could generate positive waste minimisation implications.

“This progressive environmental solution in the waterfront community at Port Coogee demonstrates the importance of sustainable partnerships to create economic, social and environmental value for materials that would more than likely end up in landfill, or as pollutants in our natural environments.

“We look forward to monitoring the trial of this recycled asphalt and how the new surface performs over time,” Gardiner said.

Image credit: ©Frasers Property Australia. Image caption: Cecilia and Skerne Lanes in Port Coogee, WA, will be sealed with recycled asphalt.