In June 2023, Bayside trialled the use recycled rubber from end-of-life car and truck tyres in the asphalt mix on our first road on Willison Road, Bexley.
The roadwork looks fantastic and is holding up well.
The road paving program involving 12 Sydney Councils is expected to achieve significant environmental and economic benefits through recycling tyre rubber to create new roads.
An initial 3,600 standard passenger car tyres or 2,400 car and 490 truck tyres combined will be used in the crumbed rubber asphalt trial project, involving 12 Councils in the region.
A big shout out to all involved in this regional project, including;
- Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) staff and its participating member Councils,
- Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA),
- Australian Flexible Pavement Association (AfPA),
- RMIT,
- Boral Australia,
- State Asphalt,
- Transport NSW, and
- NSW EPA.
The project highlights the importance of research and networking and the value that can come from forming professional partnerships and collaboration.
Over an initial 12-month period, the performance of each asphalt mix will be monitored in a range of applications and conditions to measure product benefits.
The project will generate comprehensive data on the use of recycled rubber-based treatments on local roads and is expected to contribute to the development of crumb rubber asphalt specifications in future projects.
The sustainable end product is expected to be significantly more durable and resilient than standard asphalt, with the rubber improving the standard properties of the bitumen component.
Research suggests that reusing tyres in new roads can save up to 72% of CO2 equivalent emissions compared to landfill.
The rubber can also act as a sunscreen to increase the durability and longevity of roads in the harsh heat of the Australian summer.
Research suggests crumbed rubber asphalt can double the life of a road.
