The team behind the Victorian government’s Level Crossing Removal Project building the new East Pakenham Station have found a unique use for old truck tyres as a part of the construction process.
They are using recycled material from the tyres to create concrete for the kerbs around the station as the project continues its construction.
Partnering with the University of Melbourne Faculty of Engineering and Porous Lane, a company that recycles tyres, the level crossing removal team has received a Sustainability Victoria grant to develop and trial Australia’s first recycled kerbs.
The car park at East Pakenham Station, containing 300 car spaces already contains one section of the kerb made from a mixture of granulated waste tyres and crushed rock, which is bound together using an epoxy binder – with zero cement required.
The condition of the kerb will be monitored over the coming years to ensure:
- the quality and strength of the kerb
- the ability of the kerb to filter debris out of rainwater before it reaches the drain
- adequate rainwater drainage from the carpark
- whether plants, trees and shrubs planted in the area are thriving.
The Victorian government says that a successful trial of these recycled kerbs could see this unique method used in further projects to create more sustainable construction.