New Scottish guidance to boost asphalt recycling

A NEW document entitled ‘Guidance on the production of fully recovered asphalt road planings’ has been jointly produced by the Quarry Products Association Scotland and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

The Guidance, which promotes the recycling of asphalt road planings and clears up confusion over the application of Waste Management Licensing Regulations, is expected to be particularly significant in helping to secure industry sustainability targets.

Launched on 17 June 2008 at a QPA/SEPA seminar in Perth, the Guidance sets out the steps producers can take to recover asphalt road planings for reuse as an aggregate product and to avoid the pitfalls of waste classification.

It is anticipated that it will lead to 500,000 tonnes of asphalt road planings being recycled each year. John Sheridan, regional director of QPA Scotland, commented: ‘We believe the Guidance is clear and practical and of considerable benefit not just to the industry in promoting one of our core values in the use of recycled aggregates, but also to the country at large.’

The document is also a combined effort by QPA and SEPA to clarify waste legislation, making it easier for those seeking to reuse asphalt road planings to know their legal responsibilities.

James Shannon, policy development officer at SEPA, explained: ‘Through collaborative working between SEPA and the QPA, we have produced a document which will bring regulatory certainty to the processing and reuse of asphalt road planings and encourage its reuse.

‘The agreed methodology, if followed, will result in a product whose use will not be subject to the requirements of the waste regulations, thus relieving industry, and users, of the administrative and financial burdens usually associated with the reuse of processed asphalt road planings.’