Cardinia Shire Council in Victoria has taken a big chunk out of the waste that goes to landfill thanks to a $140,000 concrete recycling program.
Recycling is a responsibility of the whole community from individual households, to business and government.
Commencing in May 2016, the concrete recycling project has produced approximately 10,000 tonnes of crushed concrete material so far, and it is expected another 5000 to 7000 tonnes will be produced by June this year.
This includes materials from old concrete footpaths, kerbs and channelling pit lids and pipes have been crushed and then reused on unsealed roads across shire.
The old concrete was removed as part of Council’s ongoing concrete footpath renewal program.
The crushed material is used to strengthen and provide flood mitigation on certain unsealed roads within the Shire.
The cost to crush this material is approximately 50 per cent less per tonne than the cost of purchasing raw material from a quarry.
By using recycled concrete, Council reduces the amount of waste going to landfill, as well as the costs to produce crushed rock from raw materials, providing both economic and environmental benefits.
Council’s Operations Team was recognised by its colleagues and peers in the People’s Choice Outside the Box category at the organisation’s 2017 Cardinia Excellence Awards.
