Gower MP Tonia Antoniazzi has written to DESNZ Secretary of State Ed Miliband requesting a meeting on behalf of the WATA, highlighting the sector’s environmental contribution and its potential role in delivering low-carbon infrastructure.
Antoniazzi is supporting the call in part because Griffiths Recycling, a washed aggregates recycling company, operates within her constituency.
WATA said it is “extremely grateful” for the MP’s intervention and hopes it will open the door to closer collaboration between Government and industry.
Andy Hill, CEO of WATA, said: “Tonia is an incredible support for us and really understands the work we are trying to do on behalf of washed aggregate operators in the UK. We are very grateful to her.”
Proposed end-of-waste status for washed aggregates
The industry association has requested a proposed mandate for the use of washed recycled aggregates in publicly funded construction schemes.
The association has called on Government to require a minimum of 35% washed recycled aggregates content across all publicly-funded infrastructure projects.
According to WATA, such a mandate would reduce reliance on primary aggregate extraction, lower carbon emissions and demonstrate a practical commitment to circular economy principles in construction delivery.
Alongside procurement requirements, the trade body is seeking targeted investment incentives and capital grants for wash plant operators. It said that financial support would help sites upgrade plant and equipment, improve operational efficiency and further reduce environmental impacts.
WATA has also urged policymakers to explicitly recognise washed and recycled aggregates within national policy frameworks.
It wants the materials referenced directly in Net Zero strategies, the Resources and Waste Strategy and the Circular Economy Strategy, so that recycled aggregates are treated as core contributors to low-carbon infrastructure rather than secondary alternatives.
In addition, the association has called for Government-backed funding to support sector-specific training and workforce development. It said demand is rising for skilled technicians, plant operators and environmental specialists, and that support will be needed to ensure workforce capacity keeps pace with market growth.
WATA in parliament
The request follows a WATA MP open event hosted by Antoniazzi in Parliament in November 2025.
During the session, members of the association’s executive board met cross-party MPs to outline the sector’s role in cutting carbon emissions and supporting Net Zero targets, while also setting out where policy and funding interventions could accelerate progress.
In 2023, the UK sector diverted nearly one million tonnes of waste soil from landfill, with volumes increasing year on year, according to WATA.
Hill added: “We hope to be able to discuss these opportunities in more detail with the Secretary of State and to explore how Government and industry can work together to support a resilient, low-carbon construction supply chain.”
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