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Six years ago – Wyndham Vale stabling facility
In 2019 V/Line installed 120 Duratrack sleepers at the Wyndham Vale stabling facility in Melbourne’s expanding western metropolitan region.At the time of installation, Western Metropolitan Region MP Cesar Melhem said, “This project is a great example of how government, industry, universities and rail authorities can work together to create a circular economy.”
Duratrack is the only recycled plastic railway sleeper that is type approved for mainline use and plays a significant role in sustainable infrastructure of the rail industry.
Celebrating 6 years – Richmond Station installation
Just over 6 years ago @MTM installed 200 Duratrack sleepers at Melbourne’s busy Richmond Station. That represents over 50 million tonnes of traffic that has been carried by the Duratrack sleepers!
At the time of installation, MTM CEO @Raymond O’Flaherty said “The environmental benefits of using these sleepers are clear, as they reduce the need for timber resources and concrete production. Transitioning to a circular economy is a key aspect of making sure Melbourne’s railway can operate sustainably for future generations.”
The humble bollard – a quiet leader of sustainability
Since 2023 approximately over 12,000 Envire recycled plastic bollards have been installed in Victoria. Almost a third of these bollards are located in the Craigieburn & Kalkallo area, just north of metro Melbourne.
These bollards represents approximately 160 tonnes of waste plastic that has been diverted from landfill.
A shout out to the contractors and the @hume-city-council for putting Aussie waste plastic to good use.
100 waste plastic collection trucks
Every year we divert several hundreds of tonnes of waste plastic from landfill and turn it into high quality, long life products like park furniture, bollards, decking and railway sleepers >> View IR 2025 Product List
That’s enough waste plastic to fill approximately 100 collection trucks.
Councils of the Mallee and Sunraysia districts are right behind turning local waste plastics into useful infrastructure for the community – like the Envire product range.
Envire: Aussie waste plastic being put to good use.
An iconic Australian scene
A beautiful twilight evening picnic on the banks of Lake Mournpall (south of Mildura). Just add picnic basket, family & friends and maybe a cheeky Chardy and then enjoy mother nature at her finest.
Parks Victoria have been upgrading the camping facilities and walking paths at Lake Mournpall and surrounds. Several years ago Parks Vic approach us to produce park furniture that can endure the tough Mallee district climate. At Lake Mournpall Parks Vic have installed the Envire Wentworth picnic setting and also bollards for the pathways.
>> Lake Mournpall
Mildura’s stunning Trail of Lights
The magic of internationally celebrated artist Bruce Munro is on display with Mildura’s transcending art installation, Trail of Lights. Trail of Lights is a meandering stream of light comprising of 12,550 illuminated ‘fireflies’, 502 ‘pods’ and projectors, and 126 solar units. It will be experienced each evening with a reflective walking journey track, with over 301,200 flickering lights guiding the way.
Integrated Recycling is proud to have supplied 1250 bollards and several outdoor furniture pieces for the Trail of Lights installation.
Grape Cover Reuse Program
Our grape cover reuse program links the collection and reuse of grape covers by IR at Mildura with the sale of new vine covers from Integrated Packaging (IP).
The disused grape cover collection and processing fee charged by IR will be fully rebatable with the purchase of new grape covers from IP. An offer too good to refuse!
We continue to invest in groundbreaking pursuits and to develop high performing materials which maximise the repurposing of Australian waste plastics and minimises waste sent to landfill.
New Donald Stabling Yards
500+ Duratrack sleepers installed
The new stabling yards at Donald, Western Victoria are part of the Murray Basin Rail Project and were built by Coleman Rail for V/Line. More than 500 Duratrack sleepers were installed in the yard that will provide improved operations for freight trains and wagons to be stored when not in use. Approximately 35 tonnes of recycled plastics were used to create the Duratrack sleepers installed at Donald, an initiative of the Recycled First policy for Victoria’s Big Build. >> Victoria’s Big Build Murray Basin Rail Project
Railway research leader marks 50th anniversary
Fifty years of solutions-orientated research
Over the past five decades, IRT’s researchers have collaborated and worked with over 160 national and global industry partners to deliver solutions-oriented research >> Monash University News
Happiness is a railway sleeper that’s hungry for waste plastic!
Duratrack Production Line: Integrated Recycling Mildura Factory
The Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change toured our Mildura factory with GM Stephen Webster who illustrated how large scale infrastructure products like Duratrack are driving the use of waste plastic in Australia’s circular economy >> Press Release
Using more recycled materials to build our cities
Mahdi Miri Disfani mahdi.miri@unimelb.edu.au
A promising emerging technology from Mildura-based Integrated Recycling, tested by University of Melbourne experts, could be used to build very large structures like noise barriers, helping to keep hundreds of tonnes of plastics out of the ground. >> Melbourne University Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology article
Our kerbside rubbish to be recycled to make Melbourne’s tram stops
ABC Vic Country Hour / By Kellie Hollingworth
Monash University’s Institute of Railway Technology has received $300,000 in Victorian government funding to conduct the research in partnership with Yarra Trams, Integrated Recycling and Advanced Circular Polymer. “The modular design can be easily installed without a significant disruption to traffic. So, that is the main purpose of this, to construct quickly, effectively and efficiently at low cost” >> ABC News article
Recycled plastic is the next frontier of chemistry…
Celebrating Australian Made
Recycled plastic is the next frontier of chemistry and material science and a burgeoning field for those willing to lead into the future.” In the final day of Australian Made Week, @aumanufacturing published an article about how Integrated Recycling is making inroads in the tough field of recycled plastic products.
Celebrating Australian Made: Recycled plastics new frontier for innovation >> Read More
Minister tours Mildura factory
National Waste Policy Action Plan
Whether Australia stands knee deep in waste plastic in 2030 will be determined by the success of the National Waste Policy Action Plan. So, we were thrilled to welcome the Federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster, and CEO Pro-Pac Packaging Group Tim Welsh to our Mildura factory last week.
“It was a privilege to present to such an influential group” said Stephen Webster GM Integrated Recycling…” >> Press Release
Above: L-R Tim Welsh CEO Pro-Pac Packaging Group, Sussan Ley Federal Minister for the Environment, Dr Anne Webster Member for Mallee, with Stephen Webster GM Integrated Recycling conducting a tour of the Mildura factory.
$2Trillion circular economy boost
By Noel Towell, March 23, 2021
The Australian economy could enjoy a boost worth nearly $2 trillion in the next 20 years if the nation abandons its “take, make, use, waste” approach to materials and resources.
The Age story focusses on the PwC report about the huge economic benefit to Australia if the nation embraces circular economy products. Stephen Webster, General Manager IR, says Integrated Recycling leads the way turning plastics that have served their primary purpose into an innovative second life range of products. >> The Age article
Above: Integrated Recycling’s GM Stephen Webster on platform 2 at Richmond station.
Duratrack® Railway Sleepers Provide Durable Alternative
By Dona Cayetana, 7 August 2020: Agriculture, Featured, Natural Resources
On the road to creating a circular economy, reusing plastic waste is a top priority for innovation. Integrated Recycling has created one solution by turning plastics from Mildura farmers into Duratrack railway sleepers >> Read More
Noise wall: Funding boost to close the loop on recycling
Click to Read Media Release
“Full Steam Ahead For Recycled Plastic Railway Sleepers!”
7NEWS @Richmond station: “Trains travelling through Richmond Station will now be running on railway sleepers made from recycled plastic as part of the Andrews Labor Government’s war on waste.
200 sleepers are being installed as part of an 18-month trial.
Produced in Mildura by Integrated Recycling, the Duratrack sleepers are made from a mix of polystyrene and agricultural waste, including cotton bale wrap and vineyard covers all sourced in Australia.
The recycled sleepers have a potential lifespan of up to 50 years, are half the cost of traditional timber sleepers and require far less maintenance.
The Labor Government has invested $630,000 through grant programs delivered by Sustainability Victoria to make the project a reality.
For every kilometre of track installed, 64 tonnes of plastic waste that would otherwise have gone to landfill will be recycled.
The ground-breaking product is the result of more than four years of research and product development led by Integrated Recycling and Monash University.”
IR: It’s taken 5 robust years to be an overnight success! Duratrack recycled plastic railway sleepers have progressed through 3 generations of rigorous testing. Being brutal in our development is why the Duratrack sleeper now has type approval for mainline railways Metro Trains Melbourne and Queensland Rail.
These are the first steps of a long and passionate journey.
7 News – Richmond Station
Take a look behind the scenes