Collaboration leads the way towards a sustainable future

Greater Western Water (GWW) is taking part in an innovative trial to see if a mix of recycled materials can be used to backfill trenches on busy roads, helping to reduce landfill waste and promote a more sustainable future.

In partnership with Victoria University (VU), Sustainability Victoria and Ground Science, a combination of crushed concrete and glass, plastic and rubber from tyres have been used to fill three trenches at GWW’s Sunbury depot.

The mix of sustainable recycled materials, which have been lab tested by VU, will be monitored at GWW’s site over the next nine months to see if they are strong enough to withstand the demands of heavy truck loads over a long period.

A report outlining the findings, recommendations and potential future use will be provided to Sustainability Victoria at the end of the trial.

GWW field crew spreading the trial materials in the trench

GWW’s General Manager of Operations and Delivery Solutions, Jodie Hallam said projects like this pave the way for long-term environmental benefits by potentially turning recycled materials into viable products, supporting a circular economy.

“It's an innovative approach to address landfill waste and offers a cost-effective, sustainable and efficient way to backfill trenches in critical areas while still responding to urgent access requests promptly,” she said.

“We see potential to share this technology with our peers across the water industry, expanding these benefits beyond our service region."

VU’s Associate Professor Yaghoubi explained that collaboration with industry partners is key to the success of applied research, overcoming challenges in implementation and bringing the products to use in the real world.

'We're talking potentially innovative green construction materials and techniques to build our transport network that could be stronger, cheaper and greener,” he said.

“This alternative approach to traditional road construction helps to conserve natural sand and gravel, which is becoming scarce, and finds useful applications for waste materials like plastic, tyres, and glass, reducing the amount sent to landfill.”

The project is funded by Sustainability Victoria through the Recycling Victoria Research and Development Fund – Materials.

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