The City of Canning committed to use sustainable and innovative road materials
The City of Canning is committed to sustainable waste management.
They have used recycled construction and demolition products almost exclusively for road base since 2008. The City of Canning was also the first local government organisation in Australia to partner with Boral in 2019 to trial a new, more sustainable asphalt road surface product on Arlington Drive. This partnership continued in May 2021 with the resurfacing of Ellam Street in St James. The road was paved with Boral’s INNOVO asphalt mix, which includes recycled materials such as asphalt pavement, glass, plastic, and rubber, and requires 40% less heat in its application.
Challenges and outcomes
The City of Canning has been at the forefront of using recycled road base materials, starting with Welshpool Road. They have used these materials for most road projects since then, including significant projects like Welshpool Road dual carriageway, Sevenoaks Street dual carriageway, Southern Link Road project, and Centenary Avenue widening project.
The benefits of using these recycled materials include:
- Increased strength over time, often surpassing conventional base materials.
- Significant cost savings compared to traditional materials.
- Reduced transportation costs and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
- Diversion of materials from landfill.
For the Centenary Avenue widening project, the City of Canning reused cut-off material from previous projects, resulting in reduced bitumen content and significant cost savings. The City's resurfacing and road stabilisation programs have used over 1,000 tonnes of profilings and approximately 2,500 tonnes of leftover cut-offs, repurposing these materials for new road construction, carparks, and footpath foundations. This has saved approximately $70,000 annually in haulage and disposal fees and an additional $50,000-$100,000 annually by reusing materials instead of purchasing new ones.
Next steps
Since 2019, The City of Canning advanced the reuse and repurposing of recycled materials in road construction by incorporating:
- Recycled concrete for footpaths.
- Asphalt containing RAP (reclaimed asphalt pavement), crumbed rubber, and polymers (recycled soft plastics).
- Recycled crushed glass as drainage aggregate.
- Recycled screened sand for garden bed soil mix.
- Repurposed PVC pipe for subsoil drainage.
- Recycled concrete, brick, and tile for road-base.
- Recycled screened stone for drainage aggregate.
- Ecoaid chambers for stormwater harvesting.
- Recycled plastic wheel stops in a couple of our carpark projects.
The City of Canning continues to lead in sustainable road construction practices, aiming to further innovate and expand the use of recycled materials in future projects.
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Contact info
The City of Canning
Julie Brockman