Old tyres pave the road ahead
Moreton Bay transforms thousands of old tyres into sustainable asphalt in a trial project to reduce carbon emissions and waste.
Queensland’s City of Moreton Bay has successfully converted thousands of end-of-life passenger tyres into a more sustainable form of asphalt.
The project, which was conducted in partnership with infrastructure company Fulton Hogan, sought to address the growing environmental challenge of managing waste tyres.
The partners trialled a mix of crumb rubber binder with up to 30% recycled asphalt for use on roads, specifically designed to withstand the state’s sub-tropical climate.
Australia banned the export of unprocessed waste tyres in 2021, and the Environmental Protection Authority says that illegal dumping remains a significant problem across Australia.
To add more circularity to waste streams such as these, many Australian states are rolling out ‘recycled first’ policies for transport infrastructure projects such as road resurfacing.
City of Moreton Bay reported that its trial saved over 556,000 kg of CO2 emissions by recycling more than 28,700 old tyres and resurfacing 82 streets across seven council divisions.
These savings were achieved by using "warm mix" asphalt technology, which according to the project partners, allowed for lower production temperatures than traditional methods.
"Local roads are one of the largest infrastructure assets we manage, so it makes sense to collaborate with businesses who are pioneering new advancements in sustainability."
The council is not the first to embrace the repurposing of tyres to combine with asphalt but previous trials have taken place in the cooler climates of southern states with lower temperature requirements.
One of Australia’s largest multi-council trials in NSW was led by the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) and involved 12 councils and different rubber types and concentrations.
Victorian councils have also run a series of trials for crumb rubber on local roads with more recent trials moving from small demonstration patches to high-traffic local and arterial roads.
City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said the Queensland road partnership demonstrated its commitment to sustainability.
“Council is always looking for ways to keep products and materials in circulation to help reduce waste and pollution,” he said. “Local roads are one of the largest infrastructure assets we manage, so it makes sense to collaborate with businesses who are pioneering new advancements in sustainability.”
The project recently received the Queensland state award for ‘Outstanding project less than $10m’ from the Australian Flexible Pavement Association.
The City of Moreton Bay project tackles two problems at once: reducing landfill and carbon emissions while creating road surfaces able to withstand the intense summer heat. The Queensland road partnership developed a dense grade asphalt mix using a mix of crumb rubber binder with up to 30% recycled asphalt, specifically designed to withstand the state’s sub-tropical climate. By using warm mix asphalt technology, the council says the project maintained lower production temperatures compared with traditional hot mix asphalt, reducing energy consumption.
