Roads (Recycled Materials) (Hansard, 27 March 1995)

§ Mr. Watts

This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 27 March 1995: As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr John Watts, has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for the Environment, what use is made in new road building of recycled material from old roads. It is government policy to encourage conservation and facilitate the use of reclaimed materials to reduce pressure on sources of primary aggregates and obtain environmental benefits. Wherever practical the Highways Agency provides the opportunity in trunk road contracts for including recycled materials from old roads in new road construction. Our requirements for materials are set out in the Specification for Highway Works published by HMSO. material from old roads can be used in a variety of ways. it can be incorporated within road foundations as a fill material, be used as an aggregate within either bituminous or cement bound layers, or as in the case of bituminous planings be mixed with new bitumen and aggregate for use in road construction or maintenance. Since 1992 up to 10% of new surfacing can be drawn from reclaimed bituminous material such as planings from old roads. Following the results of further research, this summer we are raising the percentage allowable to 30% for certain bituminous materials,. We also permit a wide range of options for reuse and recycling of old concrete roads, indeed crushed concrete is highly valued as an aggregate by the construction industry. The Highways Agency is shortly to publish new advice on the conservation and use of reclaimed materials in road construction and maintenance which highlights the scope for reuse and recycling and is aimed at encouraging a greater awareness of the opportunities available. No central records are kept of actual quantities of old road material used in new roads. However, the DOE's Mineral Planning Guidance MPG6, published in April 1994, indicated that 80% of 510W road planings, for example,were recycled in some form. Not all of this will be in roads as planings are in great demand for use on parking areas, footpaths and farm accesses. Estimates suggest that there are around 7–8 million tonnes of bituminous road planings produced each year.