London Wider Waste Strategy - London - Greater London Authority

Table 5.6: Estimated range 30 of hard and excavated construction and
demolition waste in 2001 (million tonnes) subject to re-use, recycling, or
disposal (based on Symonds, 2002)
Used as recycled
aggregate
Used as recycled
soil
Used as
landfillengi
neering or
restoration
Used to backfill
quarry
voids
Spread on
registered
exempt
sites
Disposed of to
landfill
Upper 6.03 0.72 0.31 0.53 0.61 0.21 8.41
London Mid 4.34 0.52 0.22 0.38 0.44 0.15 6.05
Lower 2.65 0.31 0.13 0.23 0.27 0.10 3.69
Upper 41.94 7.83 10.06 12.18 25.76 4.45 102.22
England Mid 36.47 6.81 8.75 10.59 22.40 3.87 88.89
Lower 31.00 5.79 7.44 9.0 19.04 3.29 75.56
Upper 43.72 8.11 10.82 13.26 27.23 4.85 107.99
E & W Mid 38.02 7.05 9.41 11.53 23.68 4.22 93.91
Lower 32.32 5.99 8.0 9.80 20.13 3.59 79.83
5.27. Crushing ‘hard’ waste materials to secondary aggregates is the main form of recycling
for the demolition and construction industry. The proportion of C&D waste that is
reused (or recycled as soil following treatment) is considerably smaller. With regard to
the above figures, it is not recorded whether use as a recycled aggregate relates to high
or low grade aggregate, although the anecdotal evidence from the consultations
suggests that the majority of the aggregate is recycled as relatively low-grade
engineering fill, with increasing interest expressed by some C&D waste management
contractors in higher value recycling of aggregates for use as graded aggregate in road
construction material and for concrete production.
5.28. By way of illustration of the potential inaccuracies in the data estimates in Table 5.5, it
is apparent from the hazardous waste data in Chapter 6 that of the 458,300 tonnes of
hazardous wastes arisings in London in 2001, 73% (334,558 tonnes) were identified as
‘C&D Waste and Asbestos’ of which around 68% (227,500 tonnes) was identified as
contaminated soil and stones (EWC 170501). As contaminated material, the bulk of this
would have been landfilled; however the estimated quantity of C&D waste sent to
landfill (refer Table 5.5) is lower – in the estimated range of 100,000 – 210,000 tonnes.
There are a number of potential reasons for this difference; nevertheless it illustrates the
caution with which the data estimates from the construction and demolition waste
survey should be used.
30 The upper and lower end of the range has been calculated using the confidence level of ± 39% for London and ±
15% for England, and England and Wales from the figure quoted in the Symonds report, which is presented in this
table as the mid figure
83
Total