The German online magazine Recycling Magazine reports about a new generation of asphalt that recycles 10 used tires into every ton of the road surfacing product. The product is being laid on Gold Coast streets in a world-first trial, the magazine says.

The innovative rubberized asphalt which uses recycled end-of-life tires, known as Carbonmastic, developed by Australian companies Austek Asphalt Production and Pearl Global, could potentially lead to millions of tyres each year being redirected from landfill.

The Recycling Magazine says the trial began this week on roads at Ormeau on the northern Gold Coast and Austek General manager David Simmons said the trial was the first time a council had committed to using the environmentally innovative asphalt.

“We essentially fully recycle used tires and repurpose the products to replace diesel fuel at our plant and concurrently use the recovered carbon black to make a superior asphalt product,” Simmons said.

“This product is great for council roads because it restricts reflective cracking, you can lay it thinner because it’s a stronger compound, and it’s a smoother, quieter surface,” he said.

“This is absolutely ground-breaking stuff. It’s very clever. We are getting really good buy-in and a lot of councils are now looking at this really seriously.”