Specification for supply of recycled material for pavements, earthworks and drainage
The Specification for Supply of Recycled Material for Pavements, Earthworks and Drainage is the updated (2010) industry-wide specification for the use of recycled materials in local roads, other pavements and civil works. It was developed in partnership with the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA) and the Construction and Demolition Division of the Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA).
The specification outlines a variety of uses of recycled aggregates including:
- road base material suitable for a range of traffic conditions
- select fill for improving sub-grade performance and also for raising site levels
- bedding material suitable for use as a base layer for pavers
- drainage medium for backfilling drainage structures.
The specification is about providing standards that are performance-based.
Traditionally prescriptive standards have specified virgin materials and in doing so have restricted the use of materials that have been recycled. Now we are discovering that recycled materials can deliver the same, and sometimes better, performance requirements.
The specification sets the standard for the recovery industry to supply quality recycled materials. This in turn provides the confidence required in the marketplace for designers, specifiers, councils and contractors.
The specification has been enhanced by the addition of new material to meet the needs of users in two key areas:
the legal requirements to be met for the recovery and reuse of construction materials
the guidelines for the placement of pavement materials, including recycled materials, to ensure the degree of compaction necessary to achieve design performance.
There are several benefits in using recovered concrete, brick and asphalt materials. These benefits are financial, environmental and performance-related, including:
- protecting stocks of natural resources
- protecting the environment from further degradation
- potential cost savings
- ensuring local government works towards international best practice
- assisting local government and industry to ensure development is ecologically sustainable
- recycled materials that bind together well to reduce potholes and scouring and also require less brooming to finish
- in order to ensure consistent material is supplied it is recommended that material test results, as outlined in the specification, are supplied with the material.
The initiative is in accordance with the Government's policy for the recovery and use of secondary materials to minimise the consumption of natural resources. This will make a positive contribution to the protection of the environment and to a more sustainable future.
Download
Specification for supply of recycled materials for pavements, earthworks and drainage (104SupplyofRecycledmaterials.pdf, 549KB)
Page last updated: 12 July 2012
