The project investigates potential pathways for recycling and repurposing end-of-life railway ballast for transport infrastructure use, combining a desktop study with environmental and engineering assessments of sampled waste ballast. Findings from literature, standards, and stakeholder consultation show that reusing cleaned ballast within rail networks is already accepted both in Australia and internationally, but broader adoption is limited by concerns over contamination (e.g., heavy metals, hydrocarbons, asbestos), logistical challenges due to Australia’s vast rail network, and a lack of specific standards for alternative uses. Environmental and human health risk assessments—based on literature review, limited laboratory testing, and exposure analysis—indicate that while ballast can be affected by operational and external contamination sources, testing results showed contaminant levels below reporting limits or relevant criteria, suggesting low risk. Queensland legislation supports reuse under environmental duty requirements, and overall findings indicate that, with proper management and regulation, repurposing waste ballast is feasible and environmentally acceptable.
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