An initiative using recycled glass as a natural sand substitute in local roads and footpaths has expanded to include 16 suburban Sydney councils.
The Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) initiative turns locally recycled crushed glass into coarse sand suitable for use as a substitute for natural sand in asphalt, non-structural concrete and pipe bedding.
Three councils have just joined the SSROC initiative – Sutherland, St George, and Bayside councils – and are expected to save 414 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year using recycled glass for sand.
The SSROC initiative, Procure Recycled: Paving the Way, uses more than 4000 tonnes of crushed glass, or up to 18.4 million bottles from yellow-lidded bins, each year in what is described as the largest local-government-led procurement of its kind in NSW.
Other participating councils include Bayside, Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury-Bankstown, City of Sydney, Georges River, Hornsby, Inner West, Lane Cove, Northern Beaches, Randwick, Ryde, Sutherland, Waverley, Willoughby and Woollahra.
Creating new markets for products containing recycled material is a major objective of ALGA and its member associations, recognising that local government plays a key role in Australia’s waste and resource recovery system.
In a submission to a federal parliamentary inquiry into innovative solutions in Australia’s waste management and recycling industries, ALGA highlighted SSROC’s work in developing a framework for regional procurement of recycled materials.