Industry News, News, Recycling

Producer launches dual recycling plants

The Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change The Honourable Lily D’Ambrosio MP was in attendance for the dual opening of the facilities at Alex Fraser’s integrated recycling site in Laverton North, in Melbourne’s west, on 31 May.

Apart from touring the dual plant set-up, D’Ambrosio also sat in the passenger seat of the truck that took the first shipment of recycled asphalt to a nearby Victorian road project.

Following years of research and development, the now fully operational plants will supply road base, aggregates, sand and asphalt to Victorian road and rail projects.

Use of the materials is also expected to contribute to significant commercial and environmental savings – including the reduction of landfill, heavy vehicle movements, and the carbon footprint of new projects – by up to 65 per cent.

{{quote-A:R-W:175-I:4-Q:“We have created a unique network of facilities, capable of supplying large volumes of quality materials to infrastructure projects throughout metropolitan Melbourne …” -who:Peter Murphy, Alex Fraser Group}}“We have created a unique network of facilities capable of supplying large volumes of quality materials to infrastructure projects throughout metropolitan Melbourne, and critical to developing markets for recycled materials, that take pressure off Melbourne’s kerbside recycling program,” Alex Fraser managing director Peter Murphy said.

Four million recycled bottles per day

For Alex Fraser, one of Australia’s largest producers of recycled aggregates, the newly commissioned glass recycling plant is the culmination of more than a decade’s work, with the company running a smaller, pilot glass plant over the past 12 months.

Now fully operational, the new glass recycling plant is capable of producing up to 800 tonnes of high specification sand per day –equivalent to four million bottles – from the most problematic glass waste streams that are frequently co-mingled with other waste, such as paper, plastics, metals and organics.

“Our new glass recycling plant separates glass from impurities, and processes it into a recycled sand, which complies with VicRoads specifications,” Murphy said.

“It directly replaces quarried sand and reduces the need for trucking virgin sand long distances into Melbourne, substantially reducing heavy vehicle movements on congested roads.

“[The] plant is capable of producing 200,000 tonnes of recycled glass sand per year – equivalent to a billion bottles … effectively putting an end to glass waste stockpiles and landfill in Victoria.”

Recycled asphalt plant

Alex Fraser has also spent the past 16 months building its high recycled technology asphalt plant, which can produce up to half a million tonnes of sustainable asphalt per year.

More than 40m high, the new facility predominantly uses recycled material to produce asphalt, and only supplements virgin materials when required.

Murphy said the asphalt plant was already supplying major road projects, including the Western Roads Upgrade, and municipal projects in Wyndham, Yarra, and Brimbank with green asphalt mixes.

“This energy efficient plant is capable of producing high quality asphalt mixes, made almost entirely of recycled materials,” he said.

“Our greenest asphalt mixes, like Glassphalt, which includes recycled glass, and PolyPave, which includes recycled plastics, are being produced here to supply a multitude of projects.”

He added: “When it comes to building greener roads, Victoria is paving the way but there is more to be done. We’re looking forward to working together with industry and government to develop the most sustainable asphalt mixes and build the greenest roads Victoria has seen.”

The Alex Fraser Group this year celebrates 140 years of operation. There are about 120 staff at the Laverton North operation, with another 200 staff at other production sites in Clarinda and Epping, in Victoria, and Nudgee and Archerfield in Queensland. In 2018, Alex Fraser became part of building materials producer Hanson Australia in a move designed to increase the latter’s presence in “aligned” industries.

 

GALLERY IMAGES

{{image3-a:c-w:400}}{{image2-a:c-w:640}}

 

More reading:
Producer hails new era in recycling of glass fines
Plastic, glass paves the way for ‘greener’ roads
Innovative racing surfaces under the spotlight
Construction materials giant moves into the recycling industry
From sand to glass – and back to sand
 

Leave a Reply

Send this to a friend