In 2023, Australia's Sydney put 120,000 glass jars and 200 tonnes of old asphalt on Clarence Street. 1 year later, its program recycled 670,000 glass jars into asphalt across the city

Road construction does not have to rely entirely on new materials. By finding practical ways to reuse materials that would otherwise become waste, cities can reduce landfill and support more circular approaches to infrastructure. Sydney is using this idea in its road renewal work, combining recycled materials with new asphalt to resurface streets while maintaining the quality needed for heavy traffic.

Recycled Materials Used on Clarence Street

Sydney has refreshed a 1-kilometre section of Clarence Street in the city centre, between Druitt and Jamison streets. The project renewed over 8,000m² of road surface, with almost one quarter of the materials that includes recycled content.

Almost 120,000 glass jars and over 200 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt were utilized in the work. The road renewal was carried out at night to minimise disruption.


The project shows how materials recovered from various waste streams can be incorporated into fresh road surfaces rather than just being discarded.

Turning Waste Into a Resource

Some glass bottles and jars cannot be recycled into another glass container. Even when people position them in the yellow lid bin, some of these things ultimately end up in landfill.

Using this glass in asphalt offers another possible use for material that might otherwise be treated as waste. As Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO stated, “What was once considered waste is now being seen as a resource. This shift away from linear thinking is vitally important to tackling climate change and improving circular economy outcomes,”

Sydney’s Wider Road Renewal Program

Clarence Street is not the City of Sydney’s initial project using recycled materials. Since July 2021, the city has used almost 1.5 million recycled glass jars and more than 6,000 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt in road renewal.

The asphalt product used on Clarence Street is densely graded asphalt and meets standards set by Transport for NSW for heavy duty traffic operations. Almost 20% of the asphalt is reclaimed from roads that have reached the end of their lives, and utilizing this quantity of recycled material is proven to have no impact on the quality of the surface.

The city resurfaces almost 35,000m² of road every year. By favouring more sustainable materials, it focuses to continue offering long-term advantages while making greater use of recovered resources.

More Recycled Materials in Asphalt

Glass and reclaimed asphalt are not the only recycled materials being used. As part of its commitment to create more circular economy streams and minimize waste going to landfill, the City of Sydney also uses materials like crumbed rubber, printer toner and soft plastics in asphalt mixes for road resurfacing.

Part of a Wider Sydney Initiative

The City of Sydney is one of 16 Sydney councils that have signed up to Paving the Way. The joint initiative is led by the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils and focuses on the use of 100 million glass containers every year in the renewal of local roads.

The Clarence Street project is therefore part of a wider attempt to find productive uses for recycled materials. By incorporating recovered glass and asphalt into road construction, Sydney is illustrating how daily waste can become a useful resource for maintaining the city’s streets.

Source: City of Sydney News

FAQs:

Q1. What is recycled road construction?

Recycled road construction uses recovered materials in new or renewed roads. It can give waste materials another useful purpose.

Q2. Why are recycled materials used in roads?

Recycled materials can reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. They can also provide alternative materials for infrastructure projects.