In 2022, Melbourne's M80 reused 35.5m plastic bags and 22m bottles in roadworks

What if some of the waste we throw away could eventually become part of the roads we drive on? In 2022, Melbourne’s M80 Ring Road upgrade offered a striking example of how discarded materials can be given another purpose through major infrastructure projects. The upgrade between Sydney Road and Edgars Road became Victoria’s first major road project to use recycled content in every layer of its pavement. According to Major Road Projects Victoria and Victoria’s Big Build, the project incorporated recycled material equivalent to 35.5 million plastic bags and more than 22 million glass bottles, as well as material equivalent to hundreds of thousands of toner cartridges and passenger car tyres. It also used thousands of tonnes of recycled pavement materials, including reclaimed asphalt, while more than 400,000 tonnes of material were recycled or sent for reuse. Beyond improving a busy section of Melbourne’s road network, the project demonstrated how waste materials could be redirected from landfill and incorporated into large-scale transport infrastructure. Recycled content throughout The key difference with the M80 upgrade was the extent to which recycled materials were used. Rather than incorporating recycled content into only one section of the road, the project used it throughout every pavement layer. According to Victoria’s Big Build, the Victorian Government’s program of major transport infrastructure projects, recycled materials made up more than 66% of the road’s composition. The materials included the equivalent of 35.5 million plastic bags and more than 22 million glass bottles. The project also reused material equivalent to around 800,000 toner cartridges and 820 passenger car tyres. These figures represent the equivalent amount of waste material incorporated into the construction rather than millions of individual waste items being directly placed into the pavement. This approach allowed materials that could otherwise have been discarded to become part of the infrastructure supporting one of Melbourne’s major transport routes. From waste to pavement The recycled materials were not limited to plastics and glass. The project also extensively used recycled pavement materials. The May 2022 M80 Upgrade Construction Update, published by Major Road Projects Victoria, reported that approximately 51,000 tonnes of recycled pavement materials, including 14,000 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt, were used during the work. Another product used on the project was eMesh, an Australian-made reinforcement material containing 100% recycled plastic. More than 3.5 tonnes of eMesh were used as an alternative to traditional steel mesh and non-recycled plastic fibres. The construction update also reported that more than 400,000 tonnes of material from the project were recycled or sent to reuse facilities instead of being disposed of in landfill. A $518 million upgrade The recycled-material initiative was part of a much larger project to improve the M80 Ring Road between Sydney Road and Edgars Road. The $518 million upgrade covered about four kilometres of the freeway and was designed to increase capacity, improve safety and make traffic movements more reliable. The works included new lanes, upgraded interchanges and ramps, as well as a smart freeway management system. The project also introduced ramp metering technology to help regulate vehicles entering the freeway and manage traffic flow. According to Major Road Projects Victoria, the upgraded section was expected to benefit more than 165,000 drivers each day. The new lanes and ramps opened progressively between November 2021 and March 2022, with the major works completed in 2022. Giving waste a new purpose The M80 project demonstrated that recycled materials do not have to remain limited to small-scale construction or individual products. They can also be incorporated into large transport infrastructure. Using recycled materials can provide an alternative destination for waste that might otherwise go to landfill while reducing the need for newly sourced construction materials. For the M80 upgrade, the approach was particularly notable because recycled content was incorporated into every pavement layer. This made the project different from road projects where recycled materials may be used only in selected components. The figures also give a sense of the scale of the initiative. The equivalent of 35.5 million plastic bags and more than 22 million glass bottles were redirected into the project, alongside material from hundreds of thousands of toner cartridges and hundreds of passenger car tyres. A milestone for Victoria The M80 Ring Road upgrade was ultimately about improving Melbourne’s road network, but its construction also marked a significant milestone in how recycled materials could be used in major infrastructure. Major Road Projects Victoria described the M80 upgrade between Sydney Road and Edgars Road as Victoria’s first major road project to include recycled content in every layer of its pavement. The project offered a practical example of how materials commonly viewed as waste could be processed and incorporated into infrastructure. For millions of plastic bags and glass bottles, their journey did not necessarily end in a bin or landfill. Through the M80 upgrade, material equivalent to those discarded items became part of a major freeway project in Melbourne, showing how waste could be given another purpose on the road itself.