Hundreds of tonnes of material that was previously treated as waste and which needed to be safely and expensively disposed of is being used to help repair Oxfordshire’s roads.
Oxfordshire County Council is working with its contractor Milestone and its partner OCL Regeneration to make use of the toxic tar-bound material that is removed during road and path resurfacing work.
The recycled material will be used in road maintenance projects at 11 different sites in Oxfordshire between 11 October - 3 November. The process is an example of the ‘circular economy’ – where waste products are utilised, rather than disposed of – and will save money, reduce carbon emissions, and minimises the need for new materials.
The recycled material is being processed at the council’s depot in Drayton, near Abingdon, following a successful trial period last year. The schemes will involve:
- Treating a total area of 24,160 square metres, which is just over the size of three football pitches.
- Using 765 tonnes of this recycled material, the equivalent weight of around 60 double decker buses.
- Saving 16.8 tonnes on carbon dioxide from being emitted – the equivalent of 3,000 return trips from London to Sydney using direct flights.
- An overall cost saving for this work of around £20,000.
Tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions are key aims of Oxfordshire County Council. Last year, it approved its Climate Action Framework, which set out plans to make itself a carbon neutral authority by 2030, and to enable Oxfordshire as a whole to become zero-carbon by 2050.
