7 minute read
Impacts
Recycled beverage carton walls for Aussie buildings
The days of wincing as you put your disposable, non-recyclable coffee cup in a general waste bin could be numbered, thanks to an ingenious plan to turn them into low carbon, environmentally sustainable construction board.
saveBOARD Australia has been handed a $1.74 million grant from the Federal and New South Wales governments to help set up a $5 million facility to turn packaging waste like used beverage cartons as coffee cups into high performance building material.
The products would be used as substitutes for plaster board, particle board and oriented strand board (OAB) for exterior and interior jobs.
It’s hoped the facility will boost confidence in a new market for recycled construction materials, similar to roads made out of recycled glass, and enable more packaging to become 100 per cent recyclable, in line with national packaging targets.
The plant will reprocess eligible materials from the container deposit scheme and Simply Cups recycling program. It will also source material from document recycling company Shred-X.
The saveBOARD process uses heat and compression to bond materials, eliminating the need for glues or other chemical additives, to produce a clean product with zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs), suitable for use in homes and commercial buildings.
“Making high-performance low-carbon building materials using 100 per cent recycled
materials from everyday waste is a gamechanger that will transform the construction industry in Australia,” saveBOARD co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Paul Charteris said.
“It will enhance the construction industry’s drive towards more sustainable construction practices.”
The project is the first collaboration between Tetra Pak and SIG Combibloc in Australia under the umbrella of the Global Recycling Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (GRACE), and is a joint initiative with saveBOARD and its supporters Freightways and Closed Loop.
Visit www.saveboard.nz to find out more.
A step towards renewable gas
As a provider of reliable energy that Australians need and value, Australian Gas Networks is taking active steps towards sustainable gas delivery now, and for the future.
While natural gas is already cleaner than grid electricity, the energy provider is working to deliver an even cleaner new gas that can be used just like natural gas, but with zero additional emissions: renewable gas.
The renewable gas is created by separating hydrogen from water using renewable electricity such as solar and wind, to create a gas that can be delivered to homes and
businesses through the existing network. This provides customers with all the benefits of natural gas, but with zero emissions.
With renewable gas already starting to make its way into homes in South Australia as blend of natural gas and hydrogen, Australian Gas Networks is developing projects across its Queensland and New South Wales networks.
There are also a number of other projects in the pipeline that will help to secure the provider’s decarbonisation goals.
This strategy includes working to provide a 100 per cent carbon-free, renewable hydrogen gas supply solution for selected new home estates by 2025. By 2030, the plan is to supply a renewable gas blend of up to 10 per cent for Australia, and to convert the entire Australian gas supply to 100% renewable gas by 2050.
While natural gas remaining a popular choice for Queenslanders, the demand for renewable energy options continues to grow, meaning gas infrastructure is vital for new developments to ensure they are renewable gas ready when the supplier starts delivering. The message to developers, consultants and builders is simple - there is a future for gas, and it is happening now.
To find out more, visit www.australiangasnetworks.com.au/renewablegas.
Recycled slabs cement smart solutions
Australian-owned and operated construction company, Neumann Steel, has introduced an innovative and responsible method of creating concrete slabs.
The NuPod, is a ground-breaking method of creating concrete slabs while still complying with Australian standards.
General Manager, Kathy Bartley said NuPod is produced from 100 per cent recycled plastic and an environmentally friendly alternative to the current industry standard (polystyrene).
“We are proud to take this step in the right direction and create a new product that will ultimately help cultivate a greener industry and move towards a circular economy,” she said.
Both innovative and new technology in the building space, NuPod incorporates a stable and locked system that keeps its form while concrete is being placed.
The product design has built-in features that reduce the number of items to be handled on site.
"The key to NuPod is its patented built-in interlocking spacers, which enables rapid deployment of pods and creates a stable system locking itself together. The individual pods can also be cut into various sizes to allow for plumbing and various slab shapes,” Kathy said.
The product is not only manufactured using 100 per cent recycled plastics, but it results in a carbon footprint reduction, low fire risk, cleaner materials, and less steel and concrete waste.
“The product stacking feature allows NuPods to be delivered together with the steel on one truck, with no waste collection required, this again results in another reduction in exhaust emissions.”
Kathy said engineers had the peace of mind knowing that the NuPod system complied with Australian Standards Building Codes (AS 2870-2011).
“Builders can access consistent cost of slabs and with accurate concrete measurements, and NuPod being a stackable product, saves space onsite and incurs minimal transport footprint while also being easily interchanged with other waffle pod designs.”
Kathy said it was a simple design for concreters to easily install with minimal pieces.
Its interlocking system keeps the slab secure during the concrete pour resulting in no floating. Its winged spacers guide bars into place automatically, and it has a solid flat surface for stability.
NuPod is available in Queensland and New South Wales and plans to begin manufacturing in Victoria are on the horizon.
Veterans with skills
A new initiative is encouraging Defence Force veterans to bring their soughtafter skills to the building and construction industry, carving out a new career path after their dedicated service to our nation.
Master Builders, in collaboration with TAFE and Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ), hosted a morning tea for Defence personnel at the newly opened Oasis Centre in Townsville in November to launch the initiative.
The Oasis Centre is a newly constructed facility designed to support Veterans. Its mission is to provide a 'single front door' for all members of the ex-ADF community in Townsville, including families, as well as current ADF members who have begun the transition journey - to transition, connect and integrate into the Townsville Community.
Townsville is a proud garrison city, with both the Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force based there, and over 15,000 personnel calling Townsville home - equating to 8 per cent of the city’s population.
Master Builders North Queensland Regional Manager Emma Peters has been working with TAFE and CSQ to inform personnel who may be considering transitioning out of Defence about career opportunities in the construction industry.
“The unemployment rate in Townsville is extremely low, and many members are struggling to recruit both skilled and unskilled labour,” Emma said.
“Defence personnel have some key transferrable skills which make them ideal candidates to come across to construction.
“They are familiar with working in hostile environments and understand the fundamentals of teamwork. These are all attributes that would see someone excel in our industry.”
Master Builders members, Michael Koen from Paynters, and Leigh Beazley and Steve Bell from Built By Beazley attended the event to share their stories about their careers in Defence, their transition back to Civvy Street and their new careers in construction.
A sausage sizzle followed by informal chats saw around 20 Defence personnel engaging with Master Builders and other stakeholders to explore the numerous opportunities available to them.
Emma said the event was deemed a great success and could be rolled out in other locations.
To find out more about the work the Oasis is doing, visit www.theoasistownsville.org.au.
