Sustainable surfaces seal city street appeal

An innovative asphalt mix created from recycled waste plastic has put Christchurch on the road to sustainable street surface solutions.

Fulton Hogan – working in partnership with the Christchurch City Council – is using its breakthrough product, named PlastiPhalt®, to repair Hereford Street in a first for the city.

PlastiPhalt® is made with shredded, used oil containers collected through the contractor’s recovery scheme. When mixed with a bitumen binder, the plastic becomes highly durable asphalt, greatly reducing the stream of waste.

Clare Dring, from Fulton Hogan, with plastic granules that were formerly oil containers, before they are made into PlastiPhalt®.

Fulton Hogan National Products Manager Clare Dring says that the Council is one of the earliest adopters of PlastiPhalt.

“The Council’s initiative, and that of other PlastiPhalt® pioneers like Christchurch International Airport, is setting an example in environmental sustainability that many more organisations will follow,” she says.

“Producing a hard-wearing pavement from a waste product that could otherwise linger in landfills for thousands of years has so many upsides.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be involved in achieving this, and to have customers like the Council that share our vision in a highly practical way.”

The asphalt hybrid is integral to the Hereford Street upgrade, between Cambridge Terrace and Manchester Street.

Council Transport Planning and Delivery Manager Lynette Ellis says the use of PlastiPhalt® underlines the Council’s commitment to applying sustainable practices to infrastructure projects.

“By bypassing landfill and recycling waste, we are creating a better environment within our city,” Ms Ellis says.

“It’s all part of the Council’s drive to reduce waste stockpiles and support the daily use of environmentally focused and durable products.

“We look forward to using more ecological products such as PlastiPhalt® across the city as a long-term solution to a growing waste plastic problem.”