Next time you are out driving on the roads around Canberra, take a moment to consider what we have incorporated into the construction and maintenance of our local roads.
The 2019-20 program included:
| (reseal) |
| (reseal and asphalt) |
| (asphalt) |
| (roadbase and road shoulders) |
| (roadbase and paths) |
- Fly Ash from power generation
| (asphalt) |
We are also looking at other waste products to include in asphalt in the future, such as glass or soft plastics.
We are also saving energy by producing material at lower temperatures and using plant based fuels in vehicles.
In the past we used virgin material for the construction and maintenance of our local roads but our natural resources are limited, so we must now think of a road as a quarry that can be dug up and made into new roads. The treatments we place today must be able to be reused again in the future.
In addition to road pavement we also recycle the aluminium signs, steel sign poles and guard barriers when they are damaged or reach the end of their life.
Water recycling practices are used in stormwater maintenance and non-potable water is used in road construction to save drinking water.
These initiatives all have the potential to reduce the amount of material we send to landfill and to provide a viable alternative to using virgin material on our roads.
The future has some exciting developments such as:
- The generation of power from our road surfaces
- The production of bio bitumen from cooking oils or plant products
- The street sweepings which include leaf litter and our stormwater waste has the potential to be recycled into topsoil after vehicle pollutants have been removed.