Our team on a Level Crossing Removal Project in Victoria recently achieved an industry first. We installed 50 m3 of structural concrete which incorporates recycled soft plastic in place of some traditional aggregate. Named Polyrok, the concrete was placed in the roof slab of a new rail station building.
It is estimated that 125,000 pieces of plastic have been used in the station roof instead of going to landfill.
The achievement is the result of collaboration involving Boral, EnviroCast, M. James Engineering, and our team. After extensive laboratory testing, the team was able demonstrate that there were no negative impacts on the strength or long-term durability of the 40MPa concrete mix.
Lighter than using traditional aggregate, the use of supplementary cementitious material also reduces the carbon footprint of the concrete by up to 40 per cent when compared to typical cement concrete.
This application heralds a new era by creating a suitable re-use market and providing the opportunity to adopt the method in a much greater variety of concrete structures.
