Move to recycle building materials from disused airfields

A report published by WRAP on Thursday suggested disused airfields across the UK could provide 9.5 million tonnes of recycled concrete and one million tonnes of reusable asphalt.

” There is an opportunity to recycle the concrete and asphalt runways to provide recycled aggregates in regions with limited reserves. “
– John Barritt, WRAP
But as much as half of this material could come from the old runways at five sites in the East of England, the report said.

WRAP – the Waste and Resources Action Programme – works to promote recycling, reduce waste and create markets for recycled materials.

The disused airfields are not at present facing redevelopment – and material is not currently facing landfill, though 30 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste does every year in England.

However, WRAP said it is working in this case to address a material shortage in the East of England.

It said that the airfields in the region are well placed to provide recycled resources to the local construction industry, since there is a shortage of virgin aggregates in the East of England.

“Opportunity”
John Barritt, technical advisor to the aggregates programme at WRAP, said: “Reserves of crushed rock in England vary from region to region and this often necessitates the transport of rock to areas where development is planned, but natural resources are low.

“As airfields are dispersed across England, there is an opportunity to recycle the concrete and asphalt runways to provide recycled aggregates in regions with limited reserves,” he explained.

WRAP has identified the Thames Gateway, Milton Keynes, the Stansted and Cambridge area and Ashford in Kent as major development areas (MDAs) where aggregates are in demand. It said many of the airfields in the East of England coincide with these development areas.

The study concluded: “The disused airfields could represent an economic alternative to imported crushed rock at local level.”

Difficulty
While there is potential for the disused airfields in the East of England, WRAP discovered that recycling aggregates from airfields was not practical all over the country.

The organisation found that airfield aggregates would contribute less than 1% of the national planning requirements of concrete and asphalt because many airfields were too small, developed, or protected to make recycling worthwhile.

A difficulty to gain planning permission to recycle on sites close to houses and the need to make provision for other substances associated with airfields, such as tar and asbestos, were also barriers.

WRAP said: “The amount that could be recovered in practice would not make a significant contribution towards existing mineral planning targets for aggregate provision.”