Recycled aggregates


Is the planning system hindering recovery?


Over the last five years, the government has claimed that the construction industry can lead the UK out of recession. However, initiatives may be thwarted by the inability of planners to provide permission to extract virgin aggregates or pass the planning for the processing of recycled aggregates, warns Peter Craven.


Peter Craven, head of marketing & sales support, CDE Global


I


N OCTOBER 2012, the Mineral Products Association (MPA) predicted that UK quarry industry and the UK’s mineral producers would fail to provide enough rock, sand and gravel to supply the construction industry if


and when recovery comes. With demand for aggregates reaching an all-time low during the economic downturn, there is fresh fear that the UK’s aggregate land bank will not be strong enough to support such a recovery. This is partly due to a lack of permissions


being granted by local authority planners to allow for future extraction. Earlier this year, it was conceded that the aggregate production of the previous 18 months was at its lowest level for almost 50 years. Extraction of materials was 160 million


tonnes, a figure that has not been seen in the UK since 1965. Average replenishment rates of aggregate reserves continue to decline (this is the rate at which production is being replenished with new extraction permissions). 2010 saw a slight increase in production


over the previous year with an insignificant rise of only 2%. In the same year, over 70 quarries closed due to the lack of demand. Market research for the sector forecasted a


further decline in 2012 with a strong return to growth in 2013. With optimism high, the reality is that


the recovery is being stifled by blockages in the system. While we have seen some signs that private sector construction has turned the corner, the low levels of spending in the public sector are set to continue. In the last five years, the replenishment of excavated aggregates has not been in parity. 2006 marked the last time aggregate extraction matched new permissions, and today only 50% of the UK’s sand and gravel reserves are being replenished in addition to 67% of hard rock reserves.


A real alternative The recycling of construction and demolition waste materials (C&D) to produce useable construction materials is not only a real alternative to virgin aggregates; it also makes sound economic sense. In the UK, over 90 million tonnes of


C&D waste is generated each year from construction, demolition and civil engineering projects, while in Europe this figure is in excess of 1000 million tonnes (including excavation waste). With the appropriate equipment, there is


potential for over 90% of this material to be recycled into good quality sand and aggregates. At present, the majority of that material is currently going to landfill, with approximately 20% being converted to recycled aggregates. The UK recycling sector deserves credit for


this figure which puts the industry at the head of the European table in regard to the effective recycling and re-use of construction and demolition waste - but we could do better. As custodians of this country, we still


seem to be content to bury material in the ground that is too troublesome to refine and recycle, perhaps until now. In response to this scenario, the UK government introduced the Aggregates Levy which was designed to impose a tax on the extraction of virgin sand, ballast and aggregates in the hope that this would encourage the processing and recycling of C&D waste material. The cost to the industry of this levy is not


insignificant. Administered by HMRC, the rate for extraction of rock, sand and gravel is £2 per tonne. Furthermore, with the landfill tax at £76 per tonne (due to rise to £80 per tonne in 2014), before gate fees come into play, recycling C&D waste offers a genuinely realistic alternative. The variety and quality of recycled material


for construction use is extensive and can be sourced from a variety of projects. Most plentiful supplies are derived from construction,


demolition and excavated material with road planings also having sustained value. The quality of recycled aggregates will be


dependent upon the quality of the materials processed in addition to the methods of crushing, separation and washing. Regional characteristics may also influence


the range of materials that are recycled with large percentages of china clay in the South West, slate in Wales and blast furnace slag in the North East. Recycling C&D waste material offers real


alternatives for the construction sector. Being sustainable is high on the government’s agenda with the coalition currently undertaking a wide-ranging review of recycling under its waste management review.


A hollow ring However, unless local planners are urged to embrace C&D recycling and allow permissions for recycling plants to be constructed across the country, the diktat of the waste management review will seem hollow. A recent case was a project installed by


CDE Global in mid-2012 for the Sheehan Group of companies in David Cameron’s home constituency in Oxfordshire. The Sheehan Group applied for planning


permissions to install a C&D recycling centre on the site of a disused minerals quarry, next to the local council’s recycling centre. Following six long years in planning,


during which permissions were refused many times, 600,000 tonnes of construction waste went to landfill. On a recycle rate of 90%, this figure represented 540,000 tonnes of recycled aggregate that could have been used on construction projects in Oxfordshire alone. Finally, permissions were eventually


granted for the plant to process only 100,000 tonnes per year from a plant capable of processing 120 tonnes per hour (in excess of 400,000 tonnes per year). Again, planners are standing in the way of the construction sector becoming more sustainable, recycling more materials, reducing landfill and working towards cutting carbon emissions. The Sheehan Group C&D recycling


plant at Dix Pit in Stanton Harcourt near Oxford is now supplying materials to the


local construction market for all manner of applications. It is also supplying quality recycled sand and aggregate to a number of ready mixed concrete plants. The popularity of the product is growing. Local company, H Tuckwell & Sons, are currently testing recycled sand and aggregates for use in their ready mix. London 2012 should have been seen as


the benchmark for all future UK construction projects. During the build of the Olympic Park and its supporting infrastructure, 99% of all demolition waste was recycled. In addition, approximately 25% of all


aggregates used on the Olympic project were from recycled sources. According to recent research figures


regarding the consumption of recycled aggregates in the UK, approximately 20% of the total aggregates used in the construction industry are from a recycled source. This figure can be greatly improved upon


if local authorities and planners across the UK embrace a step change in the production of construction materials.


The bigger picture The planners need to understand the bigger picture if the construction industry in the UK is to fully recover and provide the much needed boost to the economy as a whole. The aggregates industry will only be


able to meet the future demands of the construction industry if the planners work in unison with the aggregate producers to (a) grant the necessary planning permissions for aggregate extraction in a timely fashion and (b) understand the C&D recycling industry as well as virgin aggregate production and provide the necessary permissions for new plants to exist while setting realistic processing licences that would greater support the needs for approved materials. By doing so, C&D waste material could


realistically contribute to the needs of the construction industry, helping to fuel the UK’s much needed recovery.


• CDE Global is a specialist in washing equipment for quarries and mines on the global market. For more information visit: www.cdeglobal.com


RWW


8 January 24 2013


www. r e c y c l i n gwa s t ewo r l d . c o . u k


Recycling & WA S T E W O R L D


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