Circular Economy
Objective
Transition to circular economy
Goals
Zero waste to landfill by 2030
Recycle and reuse over 70 million tonnes of other industries waste and resources in our processes and products by 2030
Reduce water consumption by 25% per tonne of product by 2030
Collaborate to enable material efficiency in project design and delivery
“At Tarmac, optimising our use of recovered materials and wastes is an important part of Act, our Sustainability strategy, and this will play a key role in our transition to net zero.”
Steve Birch, Circularity Director
Adopting the concept of the circular economy allows a focus on designing out waste from every stage of a product’s life cycle and extending its useful life. The transition to a circular economy requires collaboration across the construction value chain as we seek to eliminate waste from our operations, recycle materials from other industries, and identify opportunities to conserve water.
Highlights
Designing out waste
For Tarmac, supporting a circular economy means designing out waste at every stage of a product’s life cycle and developing products with greater durability to extend their useful life. We work to design long-lasting products that can be reused at their end of life; to reduce waste from every aspect of our operations; and to reduce demand for natural resources, so we can ensure that the essential materials we need to supply our customers remain available.
Tarmac is a leading supplier of recycled aggregates, and we have developed a range of recycled solutions that reduce waste, preserve mineral resources, and reduce the carbon footprint of our products. We have been recycling asphalt for more than 30 years, and our ability to do this has increased significantly over the last few years thanks to improvements in technology. We also offer recycled sand and single size aggregates for use in a variety of drainage and bedding applications.
Waste Management
Tarmac Trenchfill is a new waste management system that was introduced in 2023 as one of the many steps we are taking in our journey to net zero and a circular economy.
A closed loop recycling service for footpath and road reinstatements, Tarmac Trenchfill uses a proprietary binder that, when mixed with arisings, uses the free moisture from the atmosphere to start a reaction that binds it to form a high quality, structural reinstatement material. The resulting base material, Tarmac Trenchfill, has three times greater strength than traditional methods and will create significant savings across waste and resources.
This new product is leading the way in changing mindsets and embracing a new approach to waste. Instead of the traditional linear ‘take-make-dispose’ model, we're at the forefront of the circular economy movement by creating a closed-loop system where waste becomes a valuable resource.
Tarmac also developed and published a specialist report in 2023, titled ‘Changing mindsets on aggregate reuse and recycling in the built environment’. The report recognises that waste and the reuse of resources is a key topic for our industry, and to support this, we will be launching training to raise awareness and upskill colleagues on procedures for enhancing the circularity of waste in our business.
Using recycled materials
Tarmac is a net user of waste, which means we use more of other people’s waste than the waste we produce ourselves. Waste materials and by-products from other sectors serve as valuable fuels or raw materials to replace all or a portion of the virgin materials used in our products.
In the face of the ever-growing need for low carbon innovation and development, Tarmac continues to prioritise its transition to net zero alongside its commitment to maintaining our status as a net user of waste. One of the key ways in which Tarmac is turning the decarbonisation dial is by continually increasing its recycling of road materials.
We utilised over 985,000 tonnes of recycled asphalt planings (RAP) this year, with plans to lay even more in 2024.
In addition to reusing waste from our own industry, we also use large quantities of waste and by-products from the metal working, steelmaking, and power industries, as additions to concrete and blocks - for example, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), ashes, and foundry sand.
In 2023, we used over 7.1 million tonnes of waste and secondary materials from other sectors as raw materials for our products and as fuel in the manufacturing process, helping us to progress to our goal of recycling and reusing over 70 million tonnes of waste from other industries by 2030. In 2023, we recycled 95 per cent of the waste generated across our operations.
tonnes of RAP used
Construction Recovery
Our recovery business has developed a range of innovative recycled solutions that not only reduce waste but actively contribute to improved circular economy and closed loop recycling. We recycle construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E) waste to produce recycled aggregates and to restore our sites. In 2023, we used over 3.16 million tonnes of construction waste in our recovery and recycling operations.
We utilise material from construction projects to restore our quarries and bring the land back into beneficial use, allowing us to create a new life for the material we process. We used over 1.7 million tonnes of CD&E waste at eight of our sites in 2023.
Across the UK, we currently have over 800,000 tonnes capacity for recycling construction recovery. By carefully reprocessing clean inert construction waste, we can manufacture a range of certified materials to feed into new construction projects.
tonnes of construction waste used in our recovery and disposal operations.
Using waste as a fuel
As well as using waste from other industries in the manufacture of our products, we also use waste as fuel to power our operations. This further reduces the amount of waste being sent to landfill and offers additional carbon benefits. In 2023, we made use of over 138,000 tonnes of waste derived fuel, representing 42 per cent of the total thermal input required by our cement business. The chlorine bypass installed at our Tunstead cement plant has helped to reduce the use of fossil fuels by increasing the consumption of these waste-derived fuels on site.
Minimising Packaging Waste
Most of Tarmac’s products are delivered in bulk with no packaging, which means we use relatively small amounts of packaging across our operations. Where we are required to use additional packaging, for example in bagged products sold by retailers, we try to minimise its use and encourage recycling to reduce potential waste.
Tarmac manufactures 50% recycled content packaging for its cement products which are fully recyclable hybrid bags, and all our cement bags now use our 50% recycled content bags. This is in addition to our 30% recycled content bags that have been in circulation for years.
Conserving Water
Water is central to Tarmac’s operations - in 2023, across our business, we used more than 25.3 million cubic metres. By 2030, we aim to reduce water consumption by 25% per tonne of product compared to our 2020 figures. This is a target that we can only achieve by focusing on every aspect of our water usage, from turning taps off in offices, right up to finding new, innovative water efficiency processes in the production of our materials.
A recent water-saving method introduced to the business is the use of recycled water at Maltby Blocks Plant in South Yorkshire. A new 44 thousand litre rainwater harvesting system now collects water from across the site. This water is used before abstracting water from the onsite borehole, and in preference to mains water.
The project is one of several sustainability measures implemented on the Maltby Blocks site, including waterless urinals and waste recycling recovery. Eliminating the use of mains water also lowers carbon emissions from our supply chain – so far, we estimate that Maltby’s rainwater system has eliminated 140kg of CO2.
Tarmac’s Arcow Quarry in the Yorkshire Dales is also doing its part to reduce water consumption. The site uses purified quarry water for all its domestic needs and only brings in bottled water for drinking. This quarry water is used for dust suppression, wheel cleaning, washing up, and in the toilets.
To ensure its safety, the site pumps the water through a self-cleaning filter, followed by two ultraviolet filters and two paper filters, before being used by quarry personnel. Any surplus water is treated in lagoons and regularly checked, before being released into the local watercourse.
In 2023, we used a total of 25.4 million cubic metres of water, of which 10.3 million cubic metres were abstracted from quarry, ground and surface water sources, 1.7 million cubic metres from potable water supply, and around 13.4 million cubic metres from recycled, harvested and grey water systems.
Looking forward
It is important that we continue to move towards a circular economy through our products and operations. To do this, we will continue to review opportunities to optimise our use of recycled materials in our products and our packaging and we will continue to optimise recycling of construction and demolition waste at sites we’re restoring. We will also work to reduce our water use across sites.
