LANDFILLWASTE: CHALLENGESAND OPPORTUNITIES

There is a global shift towards circular economies, which concentrate on reducing waste, extending the useful life of materials or transforming wastes into another useful material. Every year, Australia generates around 2.54 million tonnes (Mt) of waste plastics, 1.16 Mt of waste glass, and 0.45 Mt of end-of-life tires. Of these about 85% of the plastic, 41% of the glass, and 24% of the tires are disposed of in either licensed or unlicensed landfills at significant financial and environmental cost. The 2021 ban on the export of mixed plastics, glass, and tires has put tremendous pressure on Australia's resource recovery sector, as around 500,000 tonnes of additional landfill waste per year must be processed onshore as a consequence. This paper discusses the technical and environmental challenges associated with these landfill wastes and determines whether they can be made or recreated into useful resources. A summary of the current initiatives in value-adding landfill waste for civil engineering and construction is also presented. The findings suggest that using advanced engineering and manufacturing to develop technology from these wastes is an effective way of managing and adding value to these materials that strongly supports Australia's Circular Economy mission, ReMade in Australia campaign, and Net-Zero Emissions Plan by 2050.