Metronet retaining and sustaining with recycled blocks

recycled bricks being used for Metronet's retaining walls

Nearly 60,000 recycled blocks have been used so far for retaining walls as part of the Metronet Yanchep Rail Extension project in Perth’s north.

Manufactured by Western Australian supplier Limestone Building Blocks Company (LBB), the blocks are made from a mixture of natural limestone and recycled aggregates generated primarily from construction and demolition waste.

The Yanchep Rail Extension project is extending Metronet’s Joondalup Line from Butler, 14.5 kilometres north to Yanchep to reduce congestion and support growth in the area.

“By using recycled blocks we’ve diverted almost 5718 tonnes of recycled material from landfill, and we will continue to look at ways to minimise our impact on the environment across the project,” said Colin Steadman, Environmental Manager at the Public Transport Authority.

The project is using two kinds of LBB sustainable block – ‘Enviro Grey’ blocks made from 100 per cent recycled material for the internal retaining wall structure, and reconstituted ‘Enviro Crème’ blocks made from a mix of recycled material and natural limestone aggregates for the exteriors.

Incorporating recycled materials during construction will help minimise the environmental footprint of the project, as per Metronet’s Sustainability Strategy.

The strategy also includes initiatives to further reduce waste and identify opportunities to incorporate recycled materials. These include targets of 20 per cent recycled content used across key materials, 90 per cent construction and demolition waste diverted from landfill, as well as 75 per cent of office waste.

For more information, visit: metronet.wa.gov.au

 

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