A suburban road in Penrith has become the first in Australia, to include recycled coffee cups in its construction. The fibres in the cups are a valuable additive that helps create a superior, more durable product, quieter and safer than regular asphalt.

The more sustainable asphalt, known as PAK-PAVE Roads, has been developed by State Asphalts NSW in conjunction with Closed Loop Environmental Solutions which operates the Simply Cups paper cup recycling program.

The development of PAK-PAVE Roads was facilitated through the Commonwealth’s Cooperative Research Centres Program Grant, involving the University of NSW and has been sanctioned by the NSW EPA and Transport NSW.

The pilot project for PAK-PAVE Roads will take place along a section of Jamison Road at South Penrith, to be followed soon after by a second at Swallow Drive, Erskine Park. These two projects will utilise over 135,000 recycled paper cups including coffee cups, which is 85% of the paper cups collected for recycling in the Penrith LGA in 2022.

In addition to the recycled paper cups, the two roads will utilise other recycled materials including the equivalent of 1.2 million glass stubbies, together with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, Steel Furnace Slag. Collectively, these materials will comprise more than 50% of the materials used.

“I’m incredibly proud of the team at State Asphalts NSW and our collaborating partners, who have worked tirelessly over the past three years to develop PAK-PAVE Roads,” State Asphalts NSW director John Kypreos says.

“We have enjoyed great support from government at all levels to get to this point and congratulate Penrith Council for being the first to use PAK- PAVE™ Roads.”

There are currently more than 630 7-Eleven stores that have cup collection units as well as collection locations in numerous shopping centres, office buildings, schools and universities.