Minister for transport and roads Andrew Constance said the guidelines for the use of recycled crushed glass (RCG) would help industry navigate the steps for establishing and operating glass-recycling facilities, and processing glass to the standard required for use by Transport for NSW.
"Transport for NSW has already incorporated the use of recycled crushed glass on a number of its construction and maintenance projects, and has the potential to use up to 45,000 tonnes in the next three financial years, which equates to 234 million glass bottles," said Constance.
In addition, the NSW Government has awarded more than AU$735,000 in grants to three separate projects aimed at unlocking new markets for the use of recycled glass in road construction.
Fulton Hogan has been awarded a $250,000 to upgrade its Eastern Creek asphalt plant and a further AU$236,000 grant to use recycled glass as a replacement for natural sand in asphalt on construction of the Albion Park Rail Bypass.
John Holland has also received a grant of AU$249,987 to develop and trial geopolymer concrete containing recycled crushed glass as a replacement for virgin sand.
Environment minister Matt Kean said the grants will encourage the reuse of construction and demolition waste, and also encourage the use of recyclable materials such as glass, plastics and cardboard in civil construction projects.
"Through this grant programme, the NSW government is boosting the future of recycling services in NSW, and helping industry prepare for the ban on the export of waste glass from Australia, coming into effect in January next year." said Kean.
Minister for regional transport and roads Paul Toole said this technology would not just benefit the city, but would also be used on regional roads. "The NSW Government is leading the way in delivering innovative solutions that can allow us to build more roads at less cost, while minimising the impact on the environment, so it's great to see what would have been waste products given a new life in new roads such as the Albion Park Rail Bypass," he said.
Minister for local government Shelley Hancock said councils have supported the use of recycled materials in the roads sector, including local roads, and will continue to do so as part of the NSW Government's plan to increase the use of recycled materials. "We will continue to work with industry and councils to help develop the supply chain and reduce barriers to uptake in the use of recycled materials in road and building projects," she said.
Member for Kiama Gareth Ward said he was extremely pleased to see recycled crushed glass being used in the construction of the Albion Park Rail Bypass project. "It is fantastic to see recycled materials being used which is paving the way for other projects to follow suit and will see more recycled materials being incorporated into major infrastructure projects across the state," he said.
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