Business South March 2016
CONTRACTING » Steve Clearwater Contracting
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Asphalt recycling point of difference Russell Fredric After serving the Dunedin community since 1991 Steve Clearwater Contracting Ltd has added another service to its present line-up of operations. Director Steve Clearwater says the purchase of a mobile asphalt recycling machine means the company is presently the only one in Dunedin able to offer the service. While asphalt recycling is common in the United Kingdom and the United States, there has been some resistance to it in New Zealand for commercial reasons because of its potential to affect suppliers of new asphalt, he says. “We feel there’s a great place for asphalt recycling. At the moment all the old asphalt in Dunedin just gets put into crushed concrete, or wasted away for either landfill or temporary roading.’’ Most of the available recycled asphalt at present comes from drainage trench surfaces, footpaths and old car parks; the material is commonly known as R.A.P. (Recycled Asphalt Product). “Additives are used to revive it because bitumen gets oxidized as it ages, and you just re-lay it.’’ The five year-old recycling machine, an RSL VEB5000, was originally imported from the United Kingdom and can process up to 15 tonnes of material an hour. It is essentially a large tumbler, which is fed from a hopper, with a burner to heat the asphalt, which comprises about 5% bitumen. “It’s got huge potential because new asphalt costs $225 a tonne in Dunedin.’’ While the operation of the machine is presently being fine-tuned, it is expected the cost of the recycled asphalt will be about half the new cost. A big plus of the machine is its ability to operate almost anywhere. This enables significant savings in areas where the supply of new asphalt is a long distance from the site to be paved; the existing asphalt can be broken up, fed into the machine, and the rejuvenated material reinstated on the area it was removed from. While there were big savings to be made, the overall process still required a good level of expertise, especially as the rejuvenated asphalt needs to be laid thicker than new asphalt. Steve Clearwater Contracting’s services also include excavation, cartage, preparing house sites, demolition, driveways, retaining walls and the supply of sand, topsoil, gravel and firewood. Because the company also lays new asphalt,
Dunedin based Steve Clearwater Contracting covers everything from firewood (top) to site preparation and retaining walls (below). about half of its work involves reinstatement of drainage trenches. Much of the remaining balance of its workload involves rebuilding aging and sub-standard residential retaining walls, which is a problem in some of Dunedin’s steeply sloping properties. The company has undertaken considerable work as a contractor to Dunedin City Council; in early 2015 it was involved as a sub-contractor in a $3.2 million contract to widen Harington Point Road on Otago Peninsula. Steve Clearwater Contracting are a preferred sub-contractor to Christchurch City Council owned civic maintenance company City Care, which was awarded the contract to maintain Dunedin City Council’s water, wastewater and storm water network in February 2014. This relationship means there is likely to be plenty of civil work for the foreseeable future, especially as the council carries out its long-term 3 Waters programme for infrastructure renewals and upgrades of its drinking water, waste water and storm water networks. “It’s fairly buoyant. We’ve got plenty of work and I don’t really see it stopping for us, we’re fairly adaptable.’’
The Drug Detection Agency, the only Accredited on-site drug collection agency in Otago and Southland is pleased to be the preferred drug and alcohol testing service provider for Steve Clearwater Contracting Ltd. The Drug Detection Agency wishes Steve and Jackie Clearwater all the best in 2016 and continued success in their business.
Find us on the Ward Street Round-about, Just behind the Railway Station. Ryco 24.7
P 03 477 9607 | F 03 477 4138 8 Ward Street, Dunedin
Creating Drug Free Environments Phone TOLL FREE 0508DRUGTEST
Mike and his team, have the experience to tackle anything.
Rainbow Paints, proud suppliers of PPG Industrial Coatings to Steve Clearwater Contracting Rainbow Paints have had a long relationship with PPG Industries, the world’s leading coatings and specialty finishes company. Rainbow Paints 32 Ward Street, Dunedin Phone 03 474 0659
www.rainbowpaints.co.nz
Building Futures Yardley Lo are an approachable team of professionals, who are focused on developing lasting relationships and providing modern and innovative business solutions.
GOLD PARTNER
Hayden Yardley Alex Lo 25 Mailer Street, Mornington Dunedin Phone 03 466 5062 www.yardleylo.co.nz