Recycled plastic asphalt used in Adelaide

Castle Road in Glanville, Adelaide has been resurfaced with ‘PlastiPhalt’, Fulton Hogan’s asphalt mix made with recycled plastic waste.

The equivalent of more than 140,000 plastic bags were diverted from landfill and used on resurfacing works.

Fulton Hogan estimates 110 tonnes of PlastiPhalt was laid, it also used 20 per cent of Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in the mix.

Fulton Hogan’s National Environmental and Sustainability Manager, Rory Bracken, said the technology is part of the company’s ongoing drive to use sustainable practices in the manufacture of road and industrial pavement solutions.

“We source our plastics from a number of strategic suppliers that can provide the right mix of product that allows us to manufacture our PlastiPhalt to a high level of performance and one that meets the Austroads Guidelines.”

Mr. Bracken said importantly, the PlastiPhalt surface can also be reused as RAP in new road surfaces in years to come. It’s a truly sustainable product.

Fulton Hogan began trialling the product on a lab scale in 2014.

It is made by shredding used plastic and then granulating the shreds to a size that can be incorporated into bitumen. The plastic is then blended into appropriately classed asphalt grade bitumen.

This project was the first large-scale use of PlastiPhalt in South Australia.

Mark Withers, Chief Executive Office, City of Port Adelaide Enfield, said the recycling project aligns with the council’s commitment to sustainable transport and roadworks solutions.

“The use of recycled plastic in asphalt mixes not only helps to deal with an environmental problem, but it also makes our roads smoother, safer and more economical,” he said.