Alex Fraser finds success in northern recycling

Alex Fraser

The end of 2024 will mark a significant milestone for Alex Fraser’s Queensland facilities, continuing to work towards a circular economy.

As one of Australia’s oldest businesses, Alex Fraser has set the benchmark for sustainable waste management. The recycled construction material provider has long established recycling facilities at Archerfield and Nudgee, servicing Brisbane since 1995.

Combined, the facilities have the capacity to divert more than one million tonnes of South-East Queensland’s construction and demolition waste annually, to be recycled and reused in sustainable infrastructure projects, and reduce carbon emissions by up to 65 per cent.

This year marks 20 years in operation for Archerfield Recycling facility.

Many milestones have been achieved over the past two decades, but Managing Director Peter Murphy says one of the most notable is receiving a Quarry Registration Certificate from the Queensland Government in 2021.

“The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) granted Alex Fraser’s Archerfield and Nudgee facilities with the certificate in 2021, recognising the supply of consistent and uniform high-quality recycled products in major roads and infrastructure,” he says.

Since then, the facility has implemented innovative practices that reduce waste and promote the reuse and recycling of materials.

Peter says the certificate has contributed to improving the sustainability of Queensland’s road and rail projects by giving major contractors the ability to choose a certified supplier of recycled road base and aggregate.

This initiative delivers on sustainability and quality in compliance with TMR specifications, which Peter says is a big part of the business.

“The incoming materials, including concrete, brick, and asphalt, support the outgoing end product for customers,” he says.

“Alex Fraser having certified suppliers, and clear specifications for the use of recycled material in road projects is accelerating the circular economy.

“This endorsement of recycled materials, like the TMR specification, supports Queensland’s shift to a circular economy, helping to build confidence within the industry that our recycled products are comparable to quarried products.”

In recent years Brisbane has experienced significant growth and development. Ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games, Peter says the Archerfield and Nudgee recycling facilities are ideally placed to support the sustainable growth and transformation of the city’s infrastructure landscape.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) visit to the Archerfield site to inspect the quality of material and site layout.

“An example of this capability is the state’s current Cross River Rail project,” he says.

“This project is progressing with the customer recovering and recycling thousands of tonnes of demolition materials at Alex Fraser’s recycling facilities and reusing the resulting recycled aggregate and road base in its new build.”

Sustainability is a core principle that guides every operation at Alex Fraser’s recycling facilities. Peter says the company has adopted key initiatives to enhance sustainability outcomes.

“We continue to recover valuable resources from construction and demolition waste, which are then repurposed for new projects,” he says.

“The facility has also taken steps to conserve water during operations. These include employing systems that treat and reuse water, in turn reducing the demand for mains water and minimising wastewater discharge.”

Also in the water conservation space, the team undertakes regular surface water monitoring, pH and groundwater testing to ensure the quality of the water on site.

“The site is regularly maintained ensuring site profiles, drains and sediment ponds are sustained to best capture and store stormwater to be used for dust suppression across the site,” he says.

A new dousing bar, already in place at Alex Fraser’s Victorian plants, has been installed at Archerfield Recycling this year.

Peter says this safety feature is used to manage air quality by ensuring that trucks entering the site drive under it, controlling dust emissions.

In recent years the Archerfield Recycling facility has been involved in supplying its Green Roads Construction Materials to several projects, including the Watercress Estate in Redbank Plains, the Metroplex Barracks at Wacol and the Chrisco Warehouse in Berrinba.

Alex Fraser Key Account Manager Mitchell Uebel says the company’s capabilities in processing and supplying recycled material was key to winning the contract.

“Not only were we ideally located for the project, but the quality of materials coming from the facility was a selling point to our customer, McNab,” he says.

“Our material is highly effective for drainage, and by choosing Alex Fraser’s Green Roads Construction Materials, the customer was able to maintain their timeline, even through the 2022 and 2023 wet weather events.”

Mitchell says the sustainability efforts at Archerfield Recycling, and results from these projects, have yielded impressive results.

“In the past ten years more than 1.75 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste have been recycled at Archerfield,” he says. “The end product has reduced carbon emissions and saved thousands of heavy vehicle movements.

“Our customers have continued to purchase Green Roads Construction Materials to include in their infrastructure projects which has resulted in excellent sustainability outcomes.”

For more information, visit: www.alexfraser.com.au

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