CDE and PMG Open Day
First published in the August 2025 issue of Quarry Management as No Waste
CDE and PMG host successful open day to showcase how sustainable waste washing solutions and innovative recycling technologies can transform road sweepings and gully waste into high-quality recycled aggregates and sand products, contributing to long-term environmental sustainability and creating new revenue streams
With strict regulations on waste products that can be sent to landfill sites, there is a pressing need to transform this into an opportunity. Every day, road sweeping contractors/service providers worldwide collect thousands of tons of sand, silt, aggregates, litter, and organic matter from roads and gullies. Much of this waste finds its way to landfills, but these materials can become valuable resources if repurposed and recycled correctly.
Under European landfill regulations, liquid waste, which includes road sweepings with a water or liquid content of 10% or more, can no longer be sent to landfill sites. This presents a challenge for disposing of this waste, and there is a strong business case for doing so – landfill disposal costs are rising, but so is the value of repurposed sand and aggregates.
At the same time, there is a growing demand for companies in the construction supply chain to demonstrate sustainable practices that benefit the environment rather than harm it. For PMG, this waste challenge became an opportunity. In 2014, the Bristol-based firm purchased its first CDE waste-recycling plant, with a capacity of 10 tonnes/h.
As the business’s operation grew, so did the construction industry’s need for more recycled sand and aggregate products. According to the Mineral Products Association (MPA), the UK’s market share of recycled aggregates is three times higher than the European average, highlighting the growing importance of repurposing waste.
With this in mind, PMG have recently invested in a second CDE waste-recycling facility, which is more than twice the capacity of their first plant. The state-of-the-art 25 tonnes/h recycling solution supports PMG’s zero-to-landfill strategy, preparing the company for future growth by recovering sand/stone from road sweepings and gully waste, reducing rising transportation costs, and creating new revenue streams.
‘We’re on a journey to process even more waste across the south-west of England,’ said Clare McGuiness, managing director of PMG, ‘and our vision is to keep growing our waste-processing capability and be able to divert more valuable material from landfill.
‘During the early stages of this investment, we were able to ensure that the design and layout were specifically suited to our operation. As we were doubling the size of the operation, we sought to consider wider yard operations and traffic flow around the site, so we visited a few reference sites across the UK to gain a better understanding.’
Having achieved success with CDE waste-recycling technology on the previous installation on Albert Road in Bristol, Ms McGuiness said it was an easy decision to choose CDE once again.
‘We are in our 35th year in business, and one of my key priorities is that sustainable practices are embedded at the heart of the organization,’ she explained. ‘We have been long-term partners with CDE and have always had a fantastic working relationship. We knew the support we would get from CDE and know the quality and material we are going to produce. That, for us, made it quite a straightforward decision to partner with CDE again.’
Indeed, the decision to invest in CDE’s new road sweepings recycling system will pay dividends, and PMG believe it will play a pivotal role in helping them minimize waste to landfill, increase recycling rates, and reduce their environmental impact.
For some time, CDE have made road sweeping and gully waste recycling a reality. Each year, the OEM’s plants process more than 500,000 tonnes of these materials at sites across the UK, Central Europe, Australia, and North America.
The expansion of PMG reflects the growing recognition within the construction industry of the need to adopt more circular business models. And PMG’s new CDE waste washing plant was the focus of an open day event on 11–12 June 2025, which showcased the very latest in waste-recycling innovation for road sweepings and gully waste.
The two-day event in Bristol proved a huge success, with more than 150 end-user customers, CDE dealers, partners, and members of the construction/quarrying press attending from across the UK. Demonstrating the PMG plant in operation showcased how innovative technology can unlock real commercial value and drive a truly sustainable approach to material recovery.
‘The reaction to the waste-recycling facility has been exceptional,’ said Ms McGuiness. ‘We have invested heavily in new washing systems over the past year, and it is exciting to finally demonstrate this equipment working efficiently in a true operating environment.’
The new CDE plant has been designed to meet PMG’s operational needs, as well as site conditions, incorporating an R1500 primary scalping screen, an AggMax scrubbing and classification system, an EvoWash sand-washing plant, and an AquaCycle high-rate thickener with static screen.
When a tanker or road sweeper arrives on site, all solids and lightweight organics from feed materials, including gully and tipper waste, are removed while remaining liquid contents are pumped into the AggMax. Solid waste materials are loaded into the R1500 scalping unit, where oversized materials will begin to be processed.
Anything under 80mm will be sent to the AggMax system, which is eventually passed to the EvoWash plant. The AquaCycle thickener is a compact, highly efficient water-management solution that reduces water usage by recycling up to 90% of the process water for immediate reuse.
The waste washing solution has allowed PMG to produce a 5–25mm aggregate and 0–5mm sand product for use in Bristol’s burgeoning construction products market. The recycled aggregate is mainly used in earthworks but also meets the specifications for highway works, pipe bedding, and cable laying, while the sand product is used for paving stones.
Ms McGuiness added that the new CDE installation is not only supporting PMG’s sustainability objectives but also creating new revenue streams to support the local economy.
‘This was an investment that we had been thinking about for several years, and we are delighted to see the plant in action,’ she said. ‘We’re proud to be recovering waste and transforming it into high-value materials for the local industry.’
Fergal Campbell, UK key accounts manager for CDE, added: ‘PMG’s commitment to recovering and repurposing material is second-to-none. Over the years we’ve seen the ambition in the team grow, and how sustainability really is at the heart of every decision they make.
‘This type of material is challenging and costly to dispose of, but PMG identified the opportunity in this space over a decade ago, and since then they’ve continued to push boundaries and invest in the right technology to divert even more material from landfill.
‘With depletion of virgin materials across the world, there’s a greater need now more than ever to turn today’s waste into tomorrow’s resource, and we will continue to champion the vital service that PMG is providing for the local industry.’
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