Web launch: aggregate info at your fingertips

A one-stop source of practical information for specifiers, purchasers and suppliers of recycled and secondary aggregates was launched in London last week.

Developed by the Waste and Resources Action programme (WRAP) and funded through the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, AggRegain is a free information service that consists of a website - www.aggregain.org.uk - and a telephone helpline: 0808 100 2040.

Jennie Price, WRAP's chief executive, said: "Around 214 million tonnes of aggregate is used in England each year in construction. Of this, 50 million tonnes is recycled and secondary aggregates. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link and Terminal 5 at Heathrow are just two examples of major construction projects using large quantities of these materials, but there is so much more we could, and need to, do to reduce our consumption of primary aggregates.

"If UK demand for aggregate increases by an expected 1% per annum, by 2012, an extra 20 million tonnes of aggregates will be needed each year.

"We have a choice. We can either satisfy this additional demand by extracting further primary aggregates, or we can follow a more sustainable route and continue to increase our use of recycled and secondary aggregates," she said.

The AggRegain website also features case studies that demonstrate the cost savings achieved by companies who have used secondary and recycled aggregates and a news section featuring the latest industry developments.