To encourage the use of more sustainably sourced aggregates, encourage reuse where appropriate and avoid waste and pollution arising from disposal of demolition and other forms of waste.

• Encourages the specification of more sustainable aggregate sourcing options
• Considers a broad range of factors influencing aggregates’ selection, i.e. regional aggregate availability, environmental and social impacts of transportation and the overall carbon footprint

The use of secondary and recycled aggregate in higher value situations should be rewarded as a means to discourage their devaluation as a material resource or their disposal to landfill.

Owing to the Aggregates Levy and the Landfill Tax, recent evidence indicates that the amount of aggregates being disposed of in landfill and being used as low grade fill has decreased markedly in recent years. However sourcing of aggregates remains an issue in terms of the range of environmental and social impacts that arise from the extraction and transport of aggregates in the UK.

Therefore, primary aggregates can still be considered a sustainable option, where locally sourced, sustainably transported and from a region where that aggregate type is abundant. In addition, the use of secondary aggregates resulting from other processes such as marine dredging can also be considered sustainable under certain circumstances.