The Mordialloc Level Crossing Removal Project has become the first Victorian Big Build project to use paint made entirely from recycled materials, marking a new milestone in sustainable construction.
Supplied by national paint recovery organisation Paintback, the recycled paint has been applied to concrete structures across the project, including bridge abutments, piers, crossheads and retaining walls at the new rail bridges in Mordialloc and Aspendale.
The initiative supports efforts to reduce construction waste and lower the carbon footprint of major infrastructure projects by repurposing unwanted water-based paint that would otherwise be sent to landfill.
Since its establishment in 2016, Paintback has diverted more than 65 million kilograms of unwanted paint and packaging from landfill and waterways by recovering and reprocessing materials for reuse.
The success of the initiative is expected to see recycled paint adopted on other Victorian infrastructure projects, with the Boronia Station Upgrade also set to use the product.
The Level Crossing Removal Project has also partnered with Paintback on other waste reduction initiatives, including the recovery of residual paint and containers from the Pakenham level crossing removal project. Solvent-based paint collected through the program has been repurposed as an alternative fuel for cement production, replacing coal in cement kilns.
VIDA Rail Acting Sustainability Manager, Natalie Yan, said the initiative demonstrated how circular economy principles could be applied to major infrastructure delivery.
“It’s a simple example of how we can move towards a more circular future by reusing and repurposing materials, rather than treating them as waste,” Yan said.
The recycled paint was used on infrastructure delivered as part of the Mordialloc and Aspendale level crossing removal project, which opened to passengers in May.
