In Australia, Downer developed Reconophalt, a recycled pavement that incorporates flexible plastics, glass, printer toner, and reclaimed asphalt.
Urban waste can not only have a second life but can also become key materials for accelerating the circular economy in sectors with high material demand, such as road infrastructure construction.
In Australia, Downer developed Reconophalt, a high-recycled asphalt that incorporates materials such as flexible plastics, reclaimed glass, printer toner, and reclaimed asphalt pavement. The solution is used on streets, highways, and other paving applications, with the aim of reducing dependence on virgin raw materials and providing an outlet for waste that is difficult to recover through conventional processes.
According to Downer, Reconophalt combines recycled materials with a mix design aimed at improving pavement performance, especially in terms of fatigue resistance, durability, and resistance to deformation caused by heavy traffic. The company reports that some formulations have shown improvements of up to 65% in fatigue life, as well as an approximately 15% longer pavement life, a nearly 20% increase in traffic volume, and a potential thickness reduction of around 10%, depending on the application.
What waste materials are used in Reconophalt?
Reconophalt can incorporate various post-consumer waste streams and recovered materials. These include flexible plastics from bags and packaging, recycled glass, printer toner, reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), end-of-life tire rubber, and reused aggregates.
In practice, plastics and toner can act as modifiers in the asphalt binder, while recycled glass can partially replace natural sand in certain formulations. Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), for its part, allows for the reuse of material removed from old roads, reducing the consumption of virgin aggregates and new binders.
The Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water describes Reconophalt as a product that integrates recycled asphalt, recycled plastic, recycled glass, and TonerPlas, an additive made from toner and recovered plastics. It also highlights that the proportions of the additives can be adjusted to modify properties such as load-bearing capacity, fuel resistance, and pavement flexibility.
The first section: a road made with urban waste
One of the first flagship projects was implemented in May 2018 on Rayfield Avenue in Craigieburn, north of Melbourne, in the state of Victoria. The project was developed in collaboration with Hume Borough Council and stakeholders involved in recycling and waste management.
According to technical reports on the feasibility of using recycled plastics in asphalt, this section diverted materials equivalent to approximately 200,000 plastic bags, 63,000 glass bottles, toner from more than 4,500 used printer cartridges, and 50 tons of recovered asphalt pavement from landfills.
This project became a benchmark for the application of post-consumer waste in real-world urban infrastructure, demonstrating that certain complex material streams can be integrated into higher-value products when there is technical design, quality control, and collaboration between industry, authorities, and recycling systems.
Recycled Pavements for Light and Heavy Applications
One of the advantages of this type of solution is its adaptability. According to official information from the Australian government, the formulations can be adjusted for different uses, from light applications—such as sidewalks, pedestrian paths, or recreational areas—to more demanding applications, such as highways or areas subjected to heavy traffic.
Downer also points out that Reconophalt can be used in mixtures that meet applicable asphalt product specifications, while offering a circular alternative for waste that might otherwise end up in landfills. Its Environmental Product Declaration presents it as a high-recycled asphalt derived from actual waste streams.