Our team on the Mordialloc Freeway project used 32,000 square metres of noise walls made from more than 570 tonnes of soft plastic waste collected from households across Victoria. This is the equivalent to 30 million water bottles of plastic waste collected from 25,000 Victorian homes in one year.
The recycled content is made up of High Density plastics such as milk and soft drink bottles, and soft plastics such as food wrappers and bubble wraps which are notoriously difficult to recycle. The noise walls were manufactured locally by PACT Group, helping them retain local jobs.
Exemplifying the principles of the Victorian Government Recycled First policy, the application on the Mordialloc Freeway Project, is the first time in the world that the noise walls have been manufactured from 75 percent recycled plastic. The panels have a lifecycle in excess of 40 years and can be recycled at the end of their life. They are less than half the weight of steel, improving installation while still meeting traffic noise reduction requirements. The recycled plastic panels are also non-porous, meaning paint and graffiti can’t be absorbed into them.
The initiative was awarded the “Outstanding WARR Project: Metro” Award at the 2022 Waste Innovation and Recycling Awards. This award is given to a project that has delivered cost-effective and high-impact success in its targeted field.
