Victoria’s Earth Resources Regulation has recommended that Victoria’s quarry sector should supplement aggregates with recycled materials.
With Victoria’s extractive resources demand expected to reach 100 million tonnes per year in 2050, Earth Resources Regulation (ERR) stated this could allow more recycled materials to be used in construction.
Recycled glass, bottles and tyres have been suggested as substitutes for sand, stone and gravel to boost sustainability.
According to the Victorian Government, the current usage levels of recycled materials cannot meet the state’s construction demand.
To combat this, the government introduced its Helping Victoria Grow: Extractive Resources Strategy in 2018 to support a reduction in extractive waste while increasing the use of recycled materials.
The Strategy supports quarrying operations and industry operators to increase the use of recycled materials, improve environmental management practices and cut red tape for recycling facilities within quarrying operation sites.
The state government’s Recycling Victoria: A new economy policy is designed to boost Victoria’s waste and recycling sector to support a sustainable construction industry through the policy’s 10-year circular economy.
More than 6.3 million tonnes of construction and demolition material was recovered in 2018-19, which was then used in Victoria.
The recovery rate for construction materials reached 87 per cent in 2018-19.
To view the Recycling Victoria policy, visit the ERR website.