Over 71,000 plastic bags on Wharf renewal
Wakefield Regional Council has reused over 71,000 plastic bags to renew sections of Port Wakefield, in another run of sustainable asphalt on the region’s road network.
Parts of Wharf Reserve and Wharf Crescent have been renewed using the product.
Producing the sustainable asphalt called Reconophalt saves one tonne of carbon dioxide than regular material, equivalent to five cars coming off the road for a year.
Traditional landfill plastics that would otherwise take more than a lifetime to break down are mixed in with recycled asphalt during production. Here are the amounts used on Wharf Crescent and Reserve:
* 2,084 printer cartridges
* 25.8 tonnes of recycled asphalt
* 71,289 plastic bags
Wakefield Mayor Rodney Reid said Council partnered with the sustainable infrastructure company Downer and were pleased the product could be used in this project, noting the importance of reducing carbon footprint.
“This is an emerging product but we’ve used sustainable options before like recycled asphalt, and it continues to deliver the same fantastic results for driveability,” Mayor Reid said.
“Only the section leaving or entering the boat ramp has been resurfaced with regular low volume asphalt due to reduced traffic movement in this area.
“However, 86 tonnes of this greener option were used and we are more than willing to use it in the future and to seek more sustainable options in everything we do at Council.
“Actions to create a clean, green future are part of a ‘sustainable future’ focus in our draft Wakefield 2030 community plan, currently available for community consultation.”