More than one million tonnes of recycled construction and demolition (C&D) waste could be diverted from landfill and used to build roads under a landmark agreement between Main Roads WA and the Waste Authority, environment minister Bill Marmion announced today.
Mr Marmion said C&D waste was currently responsible for half of all waste disposed in landfill in WA.
“Western Australia has been the worst performer in the country even though C&D waste is relatively homogenous and material such as concrete is comparatively easy to process,” he said.
In July 2011, Mr Marmion asked the Waste Authority to investigate the potential to improve the use of recycled C&D materials in State Government civil works.
A reference group consisting of State and local government representatives along with members from the engineering profession and C&D recycling industry consulted and ultimately prepared a report Increasing the use of recycled materials in State Government civil works October 2011.
One of nine recommendations involved negotiating a new specification for the use of recycled C&D materials in road base.
The minister said Main Roads WA had endorsed a revised specification, also adopted by the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia and the WA Local Government Association, for the use of C&D in road bases.
“The significance of this achievement cannot be understated as it creates a market for more than one million tonnes of recycled C&D waste,” he said.
