Archies Creek Road … road recycling reduced costs, emissions and disruption.
By Catherine Watson
BASS Coast Shire Council has been recognised on the national stage for sustainable road building, taking out the 2025 AustStab Award for Excellence in Recycling Pavements in Local Government.
The winning project on Berry’s Beach Road, Phillip Island, trialled an innovative “paver laid in-situ recycling” method. Instead of digging up worn-out roads and trucking in tonnes of new materials, the process recycles the road on the spot, reusing 100 per cent of what is already there.
A short time later, the same method was used at Archie’s Creek. The method reduces truck movements, construction time, and environmental impacts while still delivering a durable road surface.
BASS Coast Shire Council has been recognised on the national stage for sustainable road building, taking out the 2025 AustStab Award for Excellence in Recycling Pavements in Local Government.
The winning project on Berry’s Beach Road, Phillip Island, trialled an innovative “paver laid in-situ recycling” method. Instead of digging up worn-out roads and trucking in tonnes of new materials, the process recycles the road on the spot, reusing 100 per cent of what is already there.
A short time later, the same method was used at Archie’s Creek. The method reduces truck movements, construction time, and environmental impacts while still delivering a durable road surface.
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Bass Coast Mayor Rochelle Halstead said the recognition was a proud moment. “By recycling materials on site, we’re not only reducing greenhouse emissions and heavy truck traffic but we’re also completing works faster – which means less time and interruption for locals, businesses and visitors right across Bass Coast.
The future of road building Chris Cleaton, regional manager for Stabilised Pavements of Australia, which delivered the Phillip Island and Archies Creek projects, says Bass Coast is definitely one of the leaders in local government in Victoria in road recycling. |
Road recycling
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“Regional councils generally have fewer ratepayers so they have to manage their resources much more carefully.
"Bass Coast has a really good team of people within council that are willing to think outside the square. They take sustainability and the zero net emissions plan seriously.”
Traditional road construction is costly, carbon-intensive, and disruptive. Old road materials are often dug up and carted away to landfill before fresh materials are trucked in – a process that takes weeks, burns fuel, and clogs local roads with heavy vehicles.
By contrast, the paver laid in-situ recycling method gives tired roads a new lease of life. Stabilisation involves adding a small amount of binder – such as cement, lime, or bitumen – to strengthen existing materials, restoring them to near-original quality.
Mr Cleaton says recycling roads brings multiple benefits. “It’s a smarter way of working. Instead of throwing away valuable materials, we recycle them. It’s faster, cheaper and better for the environment – and the community gets a stronger road.”
"Bass Coast has a really good team of people within council that are willing to think outside the square. They take sustainability and the zero net emissions plan seriously.”
Traditional road construction is costly, carbon-intensive, and disruptive. Old road materials are often dug up and carted away to landfill before fresh materials are trucked in – a process that takes weeks, burns fuel, and clogs local roads with heavy vehicles.
By contrast, the paver laid in-situ recycling method gives tired roads a new lease of life. Stabilisation involves adding a small amount of binder – such as cement, lime, or bitumen – to strengthen existing materials, restoring them to near-original quality.
Mr Cleaton says recycling roads brings multiple benefits. “It’s a smarter way of working. Instead of throwing away valuable materials, we recycle them. It’s faster, cheaper and better for the environment – and the community gets a stronger road.”
 Before: Archies Creek Road |  After: Archies Creek Road |
Roads rehabilitated this way typically last another 30 years, at around half the cost of conventional methods.
The savings are impressive but so are the time savings: on the recent Archies Creek project, Stabilised Pavements was able to recycle and seal one kilometre of road per week, saving money, cutting carbon and reducing inconvenience for drivers.
The award is particularly timely given Bass Coast’s ambitious Climate Change Action Plan, which sets a target of zero net emissions by 2030.
Mr Cleaton says councils across regional Victoria are struggling to repair flood-damaged and ageing roads on limited budgets, and road recycling offers a way forward.
“Councils can’t keep building roads the way we have for the last hundred years. Traditional methods are too expensive and too carbon-heavy. Recycling gives us stronger, longer-lasting roads for less money – and reduces our environmental footprint.”
The savings are impressive but so are the time savings: on the recent Archies Creek project, Stabilised Pavements was able to recycle and seal one kilometre of road per week, saving money, cutting carbon and reducing inconvenience for drivers.
The award is particularly timely given Bass Coast’s ambitious Climate Change Action Plan, which sets a target of zero net emissions by 2030.
Mr Cleaton says councils across regional Victoria are struggling to repair flood-damaged and ageing roads on limited budgets, and road recycling offers a way forward.
“Councils can’t keep building roads the way we have for the last hundred years. Traditional methods are too expensive and too carbon-heavy. Recycling gives us stronger, longer-lasting roads for less money – and reduces our environmental footprint.”