International Day of Zero Waste – 30 March 2024

Today, on the International Day of Zero Waste, COLAS companies across the Oceania region are proud to highlight the many ways we reduce waste and promote sustainable practices.

At the heart of our efforts is 30by30, our Group-wide sustainability program. It aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30% between 2019 and 2030, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda and the World Resources Institute’s Sustainable Development Goals. This global initiative focuses on optimising both energy and material use.

Learn more about our climate commitments and the steps we are taking to meet our goal.

How We’re Minimising Waste

Asphalt

We are constantly innovating to reduce waste in asphalt production while maintaining high-quality outcomes:

• Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP): Reuses existing pavement materials, reducing the need for virgin resources.
• Crumb rubber: Repurposes end-of-life tyres, keeping them out of landfills.
• ECO asphalt mix: Our most sustainable mix yet, incorporating RAP, crumb rubber, crushed glass, fly ash and slag — all waste materials given a second life.
• Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA): Reduces energy use during production and enhances safety for workers.

Production

At our Auckland asphalt plant, we power the burners using recycled lubricating oil recovered from trucks and heavy equipment – a major energy-saving initiative.

Fleet

Across our fleet, we have introduced hybrid and electric vehicles, including our first fully electric vehicle in Australia, commissioned in late 2023.

Facilities

At our Tomago plant in New South Wales, newly installed solar panels now supply clean energy to power electric vehicles used in our workshop and maintenance fleet.