Tarmac Topblock launches block recycling scheme

Tarmac Topblock - in partnership with waste specialists HIPPOWASTE™ - has launched a major new initiative to help companies within the construction industry manage on-site block waste and reduce the amount of material sent to landfill, as part of its commitment to sustainability.

 

Tarmac Topblock's Take Back Scheme will enable sites to dispose of all broken, damaged or unused blocks in specially provided 1 cubic yard capacity HIPPOBAGS™, supplied by HIPPOWASTE™. Once 10 or more bags are full, they will be collected by HIPPOWASTE™ and returned to the nearest Tarmac Recycling plant, where the material will be crushed and recycled into new blocks. The Take Back Scheme will be available to sites that place initial orders of at least 2,000 metres of Tarmac Topblock aggregate or aircrete blocks. Following successful trials, customers in selected regions across the UK are already using the new service - the initiative will be rolled out nationally in coming months.

 

Interest in Tarmac Topblock's Take Back Scheme is expected to increase dramatically over the next twelve months, as more businesses strive to meet new European landfill directives, which have led to increases in landfill tax and a reduced number of landfill sites accepting construction materials. In addition to the landfill regulations later this year, in 2008 construction projects over 250,000 pounds will need to implement Site Waste Management Plans. With companies now having to think more carefully about the management of site waste, the new service will ensure that block construction is at the forefront of sustainable and responsible waste management by offering users a complete block audit trail.

 

Alistair Whitaker, commercial director of Tarmac Topblock said: "As a market leader, Topblock is proud to pioneer this important innovation as an example of best practice for our industry. We hope that the scheme will demonstrate the sustainability of building with concrete, and that maximising the recovery of materials is both environmentally and economically advantageous for builders."

 

Whitaker continues: "The initiative will enable our customers to achieve cost-saving benefits by not disposing of block waste as landfill, whilst ensuring that discarded block material is recovered responsibly and reused in new applications. In addition to the agreement with HIPPOWASTE™, we are also in talks with Biffa Waste and Recycling to look at the possibility of introducing a roll-on skips option, which will enable us to handle large volumes of block material as efficiently as possible."

 

Ben Clark, head of performance improvement at HIPPOWASTE™ said: "As a forward-thinking waste management company, HIPPOWASTE™ is committed to practicing and promoting responsible waste management within the construction industry, and is already helping many companies to contribute to environmental performance and sustainable development goals. We are therefore delighted to have been recognised and appointed by Tarmac Topblock as a key partner in the Take Back Scheme initiative, which will undoubtedly contribute to how the construction industry thinks and deals with waste. The HIPPOBAGs™ are an ideal fit for this type of project which by nature requires solutions for holding separate waste stream."

 

The scheme will cover Topblock's complete range of products - both their aircrete and aggregate block range, including their four key brands; Topcrete, Hemelite, Durox and Toplite. The use of crushed aircrete and aggregate blocks as a raw material for manufacturing new blocks is already well proven in Tarmac's operations and does not affect the quality or structural integrity of the end product.

As more customers look to join the initiative, Mike Hallam - territory manager for Topblock, who has spearheaded the Take Back Scheme - and his team, will be on hand to manage the introduction process and ensure that every customer capitalises on the full benefits offered by the service. Mike commented: "The simplicity of our Take Back Scheme is that it is managed by Tarmac Topblock as a central reference point, which makes it very straightforward for clients to administer. The service itself is ultimately about delivering a practical, sustainable and cost-saving service to our customers, backed by the logistical support of recognised waste specialists like HIPPOWASTE™."

Tarmac Topblock's Take Back Scheme is the latest initiative in the company's drive to promote sustainable building practices in the UK. Alistair Whitaker concludes: "The fact that we are the first company to introduce this type of service highlights our commitment to be responsible operators and do our part to help improve the industry's overall environmental performance."

 

For more details of the Tarmac Topblock Take Back Scheme, please visit the take back section on this website, email takebackscheme@tarmac.co.uk, or call 08456 044 114 for literature, quoting code 148.

For more information on HIPPOWASTE™, call 0870 880 2430 or visit www.hippowaste.co.uk.