Case study: Recycled Crushed Glass (RCG)
In December 2020, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) completed the first project to use recycled glass in asphalt on a Queensland-state controlled road.
The project involved using recycled glass as a substitute for fine aggregate in asphalt placed on a 1.2 kilometre section of the Malanda–Millaa Milla Road, through the town of Malanda, in far north Queensland.
The project was completed as part of TMRs annual reseal program and involved sourcing recycled crushed glass collected locally through the Containers for Change refund deposit scheme. More than a million bottles (which produced about 200 tons of RCG) were used in the works.
In another first for a Queensland state-controlled road, TMR are using RCG as bedding and backfill material on the Sportsman Drive to Gateway Motorway road upgrade project.
The project has made the move to using RCG as an alternative to natural sand for the installation of electrical conduits.
This subtle change is estimated to use the glass from 1.8 million bottles (360 tonnes).