Less than two years ago it was revealed that masses of used glass were being transported from NSW to Victoria and stored in warehouses, because it had so little value as a recycled product.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Now, Maitland City Council is making use of it in construction projects around the city.
Recycled glass has been used to bed pipes in Abbot Street, where council is currently undertaking $3.6 million in works to reconstruct the road and improve drainage.
"We used to use sand, but now we're using recycled glass," Maitland council civil construction operations manager Ben Pickering said. "We're doing our part for the environment."
The glass use is part of a trial council is conducting. Abbot Street is the third project council has used recycled glass on so far.
"We've had really good results, the guys are finding it's compacting well," Mr Pickering said.
In 2017, The Mercury reported that 50 tonnes of glass from the Hunter was ending up offshore or in interstate storage every day.
But some of that glass is now staying right here, as Maitland Council is sourcing it from a stockpile in Carrington.
Mr Pickering said council would keep trialling the product to decide whether it would be used long term.
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
