Orca Sustainability

Sustainability & Innovation

Waste Innovation & Recycling Award — Innovation Category (2022)

OrcaGreen Polymer Concrete was recognised with the Innovation Award at the 2022 Waste Innovation & Recycling Awards (WIRA) — a national program that celebrated leadership, achievement, and innovation across Australia’s waste and resource-recovery sector.

This award acknowledged Orca’s unique Australian manufacturing capability, which enabled waste glass to be transformed into high-performance polymer concrete for use in demanding civil-infrastructure applications.

Recognised for Manufacturing Innovation

The Innovation Award recognised the development of a manufacturing process capable of utilising all types of waste glass, including materials that could not be recovered through conventional recycling streams. This capability allowed discarded glass to be repurposed into a premium construction material, supporting the circular economy while reducing reliance on virgin quarried resources.

In particular, the award recognised the application of OrcaGreen Polymer Concrete within the vehicle safety separators and islands range (OrcaTraffic) — a modular traffic-management solution designed to improve safety outcomes for motorists, cyclists, and public transport networks, including tramways.

Sustainable Performance at Scale

OrcaGreen Polymer Concrete incorporated up to 80% recycled glass and/or gravel in its dry aggregate blend. By replacing virgin materials such as sand, this approach diverted significant volumes of glass from landfill while delivering the strength, durability, and performance required for long-life civil-infrastructure environments.

Industry Recognition

The Waste Innovation & Recycling Awards brought together leaders and innovators from across Australia’s waste and resource-recovery sector. The 2022 awards ceremony was held at the Melbourne Arts Centre, recognising organisations that demonstrated meaningful innovation and measurable environmental impact.

Orca extended its thanks to ResourceCo, sponsor of the Innovation category, and the WIRA judging panel for recognising the value of locally driven, sustainable manufacturing solutions.

Commitment to Ongoing Innovation

Investing in Australian innovation and manufacturing remained central to Mascot Engineering’s approach.

The capability demonstrated by OrcaGreen Polymer Concrete is one example of our ongoing commitment to developing materials and solutions that meet the evolving performance, sustainability, and safety needs of modern infrastructure.

Read more about Mascot Engineering’s commitment to the environment and sustainability