Assisted by grant from the Executive, WRAP's aggregate programme from 2004 to 2007 continued the initial phase in 2002-04 - addressing the barriers to greater use of recycled and secondary aggregates and more broadly, promoting and facilitating the more sustainable use of materials in the construction industry. This included increasing quality supply through capital support, delivering information through the AggRegain website, raising awareness to increase end-user confidence, overcoming regulatory barriers, and research to support new applications. This linked with WRAP's wider construction programme promoting the more sustainable use of resources in the construction industry.
The second Scotland aggregates capital support competition launched in 2004 was successfully completed, with final payments made by March 2006. Eight projects originally selected in Scotland were completed. The increase in recycling capacity from this competition alone was almost double the original target of 400,000 tonnes per annum. Good progress was also made with projects from a third capital support programme.
The total increase in aggregates recycling capacity resulting from WRAP's capital support was over 1,500,000 tonnes. There was a good geographical spread. WRAP funding of £4.5m led to a total investment of approximately £16.4m - thus every £1 of public funding securing approximately £3 of private sector investment. As the aggregates programme evolved an increasing proportion of the capital support was focussed on higher value applications. This reflected the increasing importance of the need to increase the value of the recycled aggregates by processing them to higher standards as well as the more general need to increase capacity - particularly important in Scotland where the percentage of recycled and secondary aggregates being used in higher value applications has been significantly lower than the UK average.
A major enhancement of the AggRegain website was completed with the launch of 'New AggRegain' in July 2005. The new site, getting 9,000 hits per month, encompassed information, guidance and tools covering all the needs of those who produce, specify, purchase and use recycled and secondary aggregates. The information was provided in the form of ten stand-alone, but interlinked modules, e.g. specifier, supplier directory, case studies, waste management regulations and procurement. All of the information on AggRegain was relevant to the greater use of recycled and secondary aggregates in Scotland - with two modules, on planning and waste management regulations, being modified to take into account the specific planning and regulatory regimes in Scotland.
Two major dissemination campaigns were run. Around 100 delegates attended two highly successful "Recycled Roads" events held in March 2006, one in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow - part of a wider series of events in England and Scotland aimed at local authority highways engineers to encourage greater specification of recycled and secondary aggregates in road maintenance. The two events in Scotland included case studies of local relevance and technical guidance produced by SCOTS (Society for Chief Officers for Transportation in Scotland). Feedback forms from the delegates showed a significant majority indicating that they would work towards specifying recycled material.
Nearly 50 people attended a "Materials Resource Efficiency in Regeneration Projects" workshop which provided guidance on good practice in minimising waste in demolition and linking this to the use of recycled content in the new-build phase.
WRAP continued to fund a portfolio of research projects aimed at broadening the potential uses for recycled and secondary aggregates in particular in concrete and hydraulically bound materials. These projects included research into effects of recycled and secondary aggregates on the engineering properties of concrete, promotion of the use of recycled and secondary aggregates in the reduction of CO2 emissions and promotion of the benefits of using recycled and secondary aggregates to the small-and-medium-enterprise (SME) sector.
There was a number of research projects specific to Scotland such as the development of a design and specification guide for Scotland's road authorities to facilitate the use of recycled and secondary aggregates - producing a detailed design and construction guide for roads authorities / engineers in Scotland enabling the adoption of specification of locally available materials, including all aggregate types (recycled and secondary) and qualities. This guide was provided on WRAP's website.
Other research undertaken in Scotland covered the role of the construction client, the development of new materials, and barriers to construction and demolition waste as recycled aggregates. Any organisation interested in the detail can contact WRAP to share the research information.
Links with other WRAP programmes have been to procurement, tyres, plasterboard and glass - developing alternative secondary aggregates such as tyre bales and linking with other construction and demolition wastes.
There was an encouraging response to a letter from the Minister for Environment and Rural Development to public bodies asking them to set minimum levels of recycled content when procuring construction projects and paper, in at least 90 per cent (by value) of tender specifications and contracts, with several examples where the recycled content requirements were already being adopted and implemented by the public bodies in relation to both paper and construction. 41 public bodies gave details of the person who would be responsible for implementing the requirements. Three workshops were attended by over 100 delegates including representatives of half of the local authorities.
As a direct result of both the Minister's letter and their attendance at the Glasgow workshop, the Authorities Buying Consortium adopted the Minister's requirements in a tender for paper products. This was a major breakthrough as the Consortium buy on behalf not only of 15 Scottish Local Authorities but also of nearly 100 organisations including charities, community groups and other public bodies.
Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council both organised workshops for their key staff affected by the requirements, and invited other public bodies and local contractors. Over 25 people attended the workshop in Orkney and over 30 the workshop in Shetland.
Shetland Council made clear that they would adopt the recycled content requirements in construction projects. Several of the building contractors and manufacturers who attended were willing to help the Council meet the requirements, and manufacturers of products such as lightweight concrete blocks expressed their desire to start using more recycled materials in their products. The workshop also helped to raise the profile of Enviroglass, a community group in Shetland making a variety of construction products such as concrete pavers with 80 per cent recycled glass and they expected to benefit directly from the implementation of the requirements for recycled content in construction projects.
The Scottish Funding Council and Communities Scotland also showed willingness to adopt the requirements.
WRAP's website provides support on the implementation of recycled content requirements in construction projects and paper applications.