The council says it will be looking for more re-use opportunities after trialling a recycled asphalt to seal one of its streets.
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Work will begin on January 31 to resurface a section of McDermott Drive with 'Reconophalt,' a product using toner cartridges, soft plastics and crushed glass.
A spokesman said the material wasn't suitable for every surface but was specifically chosen, in lieu of asphalt, for McDermott Drive's conditions.
Mayor Bob Kirk said he came across the product a short time ago.
"After seeing positive results in locations like Sutherland Shire Council I'm looking forward to it being trialled in Goulburn," he said in a statement.
"As a council we are always seeking to be more sustainable in our day to day work, and this is a great opportunity that will hopefully lead to this product being used on more and more of our roads."
A council spokesman said the Downer product was chosen following an expression of interest process.
Downer's General Manager - Pavements, Stuart Billing said its use would sustain roads for longer.
"(It) is cost competitive and has enhanced properties of improved strength and resistance to deformation making the road last longer, and allowing it to better handle heavy vehicle traffic," Mr Billing said.
"Further to the initial benefits of repurposing recycled materials in asphalt, Downer has the capability to perpetually recycle Reconophalt pavements into the future, providing a truly sustainable solution."
The company says the material required for the works will be the equivalent of:
- 110,000 plastic bags sourced from Coles and Woolworth Supermarkets through the Red Group;
- 2,520 toner cartridges sourced from offices around Australia through Close the Loop under the Planet Ark scheme;
- 20,600 glass bottles sourced from the RE Group in Canberra;
- 42 tonnes of recycled asphalt as removed from roads around Canberra;
In total, the Reconophalt supplied will consist of 34 per cent of recycled materials that would have otherwise ended up in landfill.
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The council said it would continue to work with asphalting companies to identify other sites where the product could be used.
A spokesman told The Post that the council was looking to do more re-use projects, as well as exploring waste to energy products.
He pointed out that the EPA this week approved a Melbourne waste to energy initiative this week. The Laverton North plant will convert household waste into power for up to 20,000 homes, according to a report in The Age. It will process 200,000 tonnes a year of waste.
In recent time, Goulburn Mulwaree Council's business development manager, Jackson Reardon, has met with a consultant, Andrew Skidmore, of Outlier Energy, about a waste to energy projects.
Mr Reardon said the firm worked with larger clients around the world, helping them to generate energy for the initiatives.
"Some of their projects have included smaller scale waste to energy projects that are able to process even plastics and tyres," he reported to councillors in December.
Discussions included options for the council's effluent irrigation farm but nothing has been confirmed.
Meantime, expressions of interest will be advertised next week for short-term lease of a section of the farm. It and a large portion of the 638-hectare farm is surplus to needs, following the wastewater treatment plant's upgrade.
The council is also exploring options for the remainder of the property, which stretches from Gorman Road, North Goulburn, over to Taralga Road.
In related news, design of a $7.5 million re-use hub at Goulburn's waste management centre in Hetherington Street is almost complete. A development application was expected to be lodged last month, with construction tenders to be called in April, pending DA approval.
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