Roads to Reuse, a pilot program by the Western Australian Government which uses recycled construction and demolition (C&D) material as road base, will be expanding to use construction material from the former Princess Margaret Hospital site.
Six buildings on the Princess Margaret Hospital site have been demolished with six to go, with estimates that over 80,000 tonnes of non-hazardous material will be recycled from the demolition site.
Western Australian Transport Minister, Rita Saffioti, said, “We have an unprecedented amount of major infrastructure projects underway across Western Australia, creating local jobs and supporting the economy.
“It’s important we look at ways to recycle and re-use construction material and I’m proud to say we are leading the nation in this unique approach to road building.
“The Roads to Reuse pilot program, which used demolition material from the former Subiaco Oval grandstands on the Kwinana Freeway Northbound Widening Project, was a resounding success and I’m looking forward to it being rolled out further.”
The Roads to Reuse pilot has used more than 25,000 tonnes of recycled C&D material as part of the Kwinana Freeway Northbound Widening Project from Russell Road to Roe Highway.
A further 7,000 tonnes of material was used in the Murdoch Drive Connection project.
A new report has found the project demonstrated a range of economic and environmental benefits:
- The Roads to Reuse product specification is practical for industry, while its rigorous criteria, systems, processes, and independent oversight provided environmental assurance and transparency for purchasers.
- The material was consistently high quality and users of Roads to Reuse products have increased confidence in its reliability.
- Using the product resulted in engineering benefits, including water saving, increased durability over raw material and lifecycle cost reductions.
Western Australian Environment Minister, Amber-Jade Sanderson, said, “Construction and demolition waste makes up about half of WA’s waste stream and represents about half of material recovered for recycling.
“We are working hard to increase the recovery of C&D to meet the state’s target to recover 75 per cent of materials by 2030.
“Roads to Reuse is an exciting example of how collaboration across industry and government can foster a circular economy that provides cost savings and benefits while protecting the environment.
“Since 2019, 62,000 tonnes of Roads to Reuse materials have been used in Western Australian roads.”
As part of the expansion of the program, the Western Australian Government will roll out additional actions to help avoid waste and meet recovery targets.
DevelopmentWA has committed to ensuring all projects with demolition works over $1 million and development projects over $5 million will be required to produce a waste management plan targeting a minimum 75 per cent waste avoidance and resource recovery.
The findings of the Roads to Reuse pilot are available here.
