For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Boral Australia has made its INNOVO asphalt system available nationwide.
On 22 April, 2020, Boral brought INNOVO to Adelaide in celebration of Earth Day, with the sustainable asphalt system aiming to prevent landfill build-up by repurposing rubbish into asphalt.
INNOVO — which is Latin for “renew” — produces road materials using recycled plastic, recycled glass and used tyres.
With support from the City of Mitcham, Boral has begun resurfacing Adelaide’s Carlisle Road by applying 150 tonnes of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled plastic with the INNOVO system. The amount of recycled plastic being used for the road is the equivalent of 450,000 plastic 600ml water bottles.
The company hopes INNOVO will reduce the reliance on natural raw resources used in asphalt production and instead use recyclable materials to pave roads.
Boral Australia president and chief executive officer Wayne Manners said INNOVO has enabled Boral and its customers to show their commitment to sustainability. .
“The variable product range and the flexibility of the INNOVO system provides Boral and our customers with an excellent opportunity to lead by example,” Manners said.
“INNOVO demonstrates Boral’s commitment to tangibly and increasingly contribute to the sustainability of the Australian construction sector by respecting the environment and enhancing communities while meeting the high expectations of our diverse customer base. We aim to make a real difference by promoting sustainable practices and seek to be part of the practical solution to reducing landfill.”
The system has already been used in paths and roads across the country. So far in Australia, Boral estimates the amount of recycled materials used by INNOVO constitutes 1.14 million 600ml plastic bottles, 397,000 300ml glass bottles and 600 end-of-life tyres.
City of Mitcham Mayor Dr Heather Holmes-Ross said the plastic bottle-fuelled asphalt mix was the first of its kind for South Australia.
“We have used recycled rubber in roads recently, with great success, but these trials incorporate new materials,” she said. “To date, Australia leads the world in using recycling in roads. The results demonstrate that significant increases in performance can be achieved, creating roads that are less prone to failure and last longer, which means savings to councils in the long term.”