Article from the journal ‘Mineral product today’, published by MPA. Summer 24, Issue 27, p.3.
The amount of construction aggregates from recycled and secondary sources in Britain has reached an all-time high as producers invest in more advanced ways to turn ‘waste’ into valuable materials.
That’s one of the key findings of a new MPA report – which represents firms supplying over 90% of Britain’s aggregates – showing the total volume of recycled and secondary materials reached a record 73.5 million tonnes in 2022.
The data confirms that recycling rates in Britain are higher than any other major European economy – further evidence of the industry’s long-standing commitment to resource recovery and efficient reuse, in line with circular economy principles.
In 2022 non-primary materials accounted for over 30% of the country’s total demand for aggregates (which, at 241.8 million tonnes, is the biggest flow of materials in the economy).
Breaking the figures down further, the report says 60.3 million tonnes of recycled aggregates came from the recovery of construction, demolition and excavation wastes (CDEW) such as concrete and brick rubble, old rail track ballast and earthworks spoil. It also suggests that an estimated 5.8 million tonnes of asphalt planings would have been processed for reuse in roads.
In addition, the increasingly important role played by industrial by-products like china clay waste and incinerator bottom ash (IBA) to make secondary aggregates is
also highlighted, with 7.4 million tonnes of these materials produced in Britain in 2022. Even the relatively small amount of soft inert wastes that cannot be turned into aggregate are put to good use in quarry restoration and land remediation.
However, the report also highlights the challenges in accurately tracking progress due to the absence of comprehensive national statistics. Recognising this, the MPA is leading industry efforts to address these data gaps to better inform evidence-based policymaking.
Looking forward, the proposed introduction of a mandatory UK-wide digital waste tracking system in 2025 should also help enhance the availability and quality of the data related to construction and demolition waste.
Despite the record recycling figures the report also demonstrates the significance of primary aggregates (newly quarried or marine dredged) which still make up 70% of the country’s aggregate demand. The MPA has long flagged concerns about the shortcomings of a planning and permitting system which means replenishment rates for these materials is at an all-time low.
Author of the report, Aurelie Delannoy, the MPA’s Director of Economic Affairs said: “Whilst the construction industry may well be the country’s largest source of waste, MPA members have become proficient in recovering materials arising from build development and processing them so they can be put back to good use elsewhere in construction.