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Use of Recycled &
Secondary Aggregates Viridis, the resource management arm of TRL
Limited, has carried out a study on the current and potential use of recycled
and secondary aggregates in Hampshire, Southampton and Portsmouth. The results
are presented in a report, “Optimising the use of recycled and secondary
aggregates in Hampshire,” which is available to download as a pdf file
from the publications section of the Viridis web site, www.viridis.co.uk.
The use of recycled and secondary aggregates
contributes to sustainable construction by reducing the production of primary
aggregates and finding valuable uses for materials that might otherwise go to
landfill. The extent to which these materials are used currently and their
potential use is often hard to assess at a local level, as data on arisings
and utilisation is often available only at national or regional level. The
present study set out to establish the situation in the County of Hampshire,
including the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton. The study involved a
review of publicly available information and interviews with a range of
stakeholders. The study found that the current use of recycled
and secondary aggregates in Hampshire was about 686,000 tonnes per year, 13.4%
of total aggregate use. Nearly all the material was used as unbound granular
fill. The main component was recycled construction, demolition and excavation
waste, but large amounts of spent railway ballast were also used and there was
a significant amount of recycling in highway maintenance and new construction
by Hampshire County Council. Potentially, the proportion of recycled and
secondary aggregates could rise to 21.6% of total aggregate use by 2020, with
most of this occurring by 2010. This requires an increase in the amount of
construction, demolition and excavation waste recycled as aggregate and the
utilisation of incinerator bottom ash that will become available from three
new incinerators in Hampshire. Equally important is a change in the way the
aggregates are used, with much more of them used in high value applications
such as asphalt and concrete. It is estimated that up to 20% of the recycled
and secondary aggregates in Hampshire could be used in this way. These uses
are already permitted under present specifications: the hurdle to their
increased use largely being one of perception ie, that recycled and secondary
aggregates are only suitable for use in low value applications. Significant
market development and education will be required to achieve the potential,
but there are already many examples of good practice. One example is the
highway maintenance and new works programmes of Hampshire County Council,
carried out in partnership with Raynesway Construction Southern Ltd and Foster
Yeoman Ltd. “This report provides us with valuable data on
which we can base our planning for provision of primary and recycled
aggregates and the infrastructure needed to process them” said Clare
Saunders, Development Manager for Hampshire County Council. “The report also
provides important input into our Material Resources Strategy, in which we are
developing an overall framework for dealing with waste and resources.”
The project was supported financially by the
Department of Trade and Industry under the Partners in Innovation scheme. For further details contact Murray Reid, tel. 01344 770283, email jreid@trl.co.uk |
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