Lake Macquarie City Council has approved an $8 million asphalt plant at Teralba which will turn soft plastics and other recycled material into local roads.
Assets and infrastructure giant Downer Group are expected to begin work this month to replace its Rhondda Road facility with a new plant capable of incorporating recycled materials into the asphalt it produces.
Having been successfully trialled in Victoria and Sydney, it will be one of the first places in New South Wales to produce the sustainable asphalt, using materials that would once be considered waste.
Council's Sustainability Manager, Alice Howe, said materials produced at the plant would be used in Lake Macquarie and neighbouring local government areas.
"This is fantastic to see local businesses are really taking on the opportunity to reuse waste materials for beneficial applications. We are really proud to see this type of development in our region," Dr Howe said.
The approved development is one of many council recycling initiatives. Earlier this year council started using recycled glass sand in civil works projects, closing the loop on thousands of tonnes glass waste placed in the household bins each year. In July council also introduced a revamped three-bin service, where all food waste is placed in the green bin and converted into compost.
 |
| Existing Teralba Asphalt Plant. |
