Brick and paving company PGH has announced a new sustainable way of minimising waste through commendable efforts using the Parkville tunnel projects off-cuts of clay. PGH has shown initiative by reducing its carbon footprint and aligning itself with the Parkville project.

PGH believe in sustainable manufacturing and the result of recycling the clay waste has been estimated to have produced approximately 30 million bricks. After turning the waste into bricks they can then be used for residential construction within its business in Thomastown.

Regional PGH manager Andrew Peachey states: “We are very committed to recycling this type of material as much as possible. Not only is it better for the environment – re-using waste rather than sending it to landfill – there’s also the social benefit of its use to build homes for new residents in the suburbs of Melbourne.”

Considering the bricklaying process, PGH has fine-tuned its capacity to work sustainably.

“Normally we would extract this clay from our own quarry, so recycling waste from construction sites also serves to provide longevity at our facility and continuity of work for everyone employed there,” Andrew adds.

The new underground train station at Parkville is currently undergoing construction that amounts to the land space of eighty Olympic sized swimming pools. This equates to an enormous amount of clay waste of potential use for bricklaying.

“There are three stages planned for this project; the first stage will equate to 300,000 tonnes of clay, which can produce up to 10 million bricks,” reveals Andrew. “Then there are another two potential stages that consist of an additional 900,000 tonnes combined. That’s another 30 million bricks.”

The $11 billion dollar project to expand the train system is underway throughout Melbourne and the CBD district. The end result of the construction work is designed to aid with reduced travel time for local professionals, students and other residents of Parkville, particularly those working at the Parkville hospital.