Earthco, PolyCom Stabilising Aid address sustainability

Earthco Projects and PolyCom Stabilising Aid met with council staff in Taree and Lismore to talk about road maintenance and construction, rural roads, asset management and sustainable procurement.

Earthco Projects and PolyCom Stabilising Aid was invited to attend two outstanding events in October and November this year.

Making Cent$ of Sustainable Procurement is an initiative of the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW and its goal is to bring together purchase officers, environmental officers and department managers to discuss the purchasing by councils of environmentally sustainable products with the businesses that supply them.

Earthco Projects presented PolyCom Stabilising Aid to both conferences, October in Taree on the mid-north coast of NSW, and November in Lismore in the northern rivers region of NSW. Both councils have hundreds of kilometres of rural roads that need regular maintenance and which has been particularly difficult to manage after the significant amount rain NSW has received this year.   

Earthco Projects discussed the benefits of using PolyCom in the asset management programs for sealed and unsealed road construction and management with council attendees and other business representatives. PolyCom can reduce the need for importing new or recycled material and therefore eliminate a large portion of the costs of carting material to and from a road site. Heavy haulage over existing roads exacerbates damage to road assets resulting in a need for even more maintenance. 

In most cases, PolyCom Stabilising Aid allows the crew to use the material already in the road, even if it is of very poor quality, to stabilise it into a high quality surface. Many works officers have heard of road stabilizers and at the conference Earthco Projects was asked if any specialised equipment was needed when using PolyCom. No extra equipment is needed and consequently crews use their standard road maintenance machinery.

Earthco Projects would like to thank Claire Huckerby, Project Manager, SustainableChoice Program Environment and the LGSA for two wonderful events.

www.lgsa-plus.net.au/sustainablechoice