Produced by Viridis, the resource management arm of TRL Limited, the report was produced as part of work within the county to help increase the amount of recycled and secondary aggregates.
The report's authors say that it is often hard to assess the extent to which the materials are used at a local level as data on arisings and utilisation is often available only at national or regional level.
Nearly all the material was used as unbound granular fill, said the report. 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,” it stated.
Higher value
It is estimated that up to 20% of the recycled and secondary aggregates in Hampshire could be used in higher value uses such as asphalt and concrete. The study noted: “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.
The report can be seen at www.viridis.co.uk as a PDF.
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