The Sunbury Road Upgrade is installing industry-leading, environmentally friendly recycled pipes to set an example for sustainability across major transport infrastructure projects.
As part of the upgrade, crews installed 550 pipes and 3.3 kilometres of recycled pipes to improve stormwater drainage on the northern side of the new Jacksons Creek bridge and along the project.
The colourful, speckled pipes are 100 per cent recycled high-density polyethylene, made up of a wide array of household plastic materials, including milk bottles, shampoo bottles and kitchen and laundry product packaging.
Major Road Projects Victoria program director Dipal Sorathia said they are proud to deliver on Victoria’s Recycled First policy.
“We are proud to deliver… employ more sustainable construction practices on the Sunbury Road Upgrade, because it provides the best environmental outcomes,” he said.
Up to 5000 milk bottles are recycled to produce one 630mm RPM pipe, which is equivalent to more than 1.3 kilometres of waste milk bottles laid end to end.
More than 2.75 million recycled plastic bottles were used in addition to other recyclable materials to create the pipes along this project.
Approximately 80.5 tonnes of recycled plastic was used to build the pipes, which were manufactured locally in Kyabram by RPM.
The innovative piping will deliver benefits for both the environment and local community, and they are lighter than traditional concrete pipes, making them safer and quicker to install.
The shift to recycled products is being driven by Victoria’s ecologiQ program, which is leveraging Victoria’s Big Build to boost the use of recycled and reused materials.
