Acoustic wall is sustainably fantastic, made from recycled plastic

Residents in Werribee’s Riverwalk estate will experience less traffic noise from the Princes Freeway thanks to the installation of an environmentally sustainable acoustic wall.

The panels for the 1.6km wall are made using approximately 75 per cent recycled plastic, which is collected from homes across metropolitan Melbourne and would otherwise be diverted to landfill.

Approximately 61 tonnes of recycled plastic will be used to make the panels, which is equivalent to the volume of plastic that 15,500 homes would dispose of in an average year.

The first section of the wall is currently under construction, with the second stage expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

The acoustic panels are all manufactured locally at a facility in Melbourne, and the design for the wall panels is inspired by the nearby You Yangs ranges, which rise above the Werribee Plain.

Development Victoria Group Head Property Development, Penny Forrest, said that this style of recycled molded plastic acoustic walls has been successfully used along busy international and local freeways.

“This acoustic wall will be a lasting reminder to the community of the importance of recycling, as these panels can again be recycled at the end of their lifecycle,” Ms Forrest said.

“Similar walls have been built on the Mordialloc Bypass, and Peninsula Link in Victoria, and have also been used in Sydney, Adelaide and countries such as the Netherlands.”

“As well as this wall, we have been able to retain the majority of the trees bordering the freeway, providing an additional barrier between the homes and traffic.”

Development Victoria thanks all the partners involved with the project: Excell Gray Bruni (Principal Contractor), Aus Group Alliance (Sub-contractor), Pact Group (Acoustic Panel Manufacturer), Marshall Day Acoustics (Acoustic Engineer), Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec (Structural Design), Wood Marsh (Architectural Design), Dalton Consulting Engineers (Civil Engineers) and Tract Consultants (Landscape).

Riverwalk is a partnership development between Melbourne Water and Development Victoria, the Victorian Government’s property developer and major projects agency.

When complete, Riverwalk will feature approximately 2,600 homes, two schools, a Town Centre, 20 hectares of open space and three signalised intersections to improve local traffic flows.