Sheehan Group – an Oxfordshire-based company recycling construction and demolition waste – claims "more and more contractors are embracing high-grade recycled sand, which has a lower carbon footprint and protects a scarce natural resource". Sheehan's finance director commented in AggNet:
It largely goes unreported that sand is on the endangered natural resource list. Globally, around 13 billion tonnes of sand are mined for construction and the impact on the environment is vast and unsustainable.
Natural resources will not be able to cope with ongoing demand, but there are alternative solutions that are sustainable. Our circular driven economy approach to recycling C&D waste not only reduces the amount of waste going to landfill, but it also creates high-quality recycled products that can be used in local projects.
In eight years, we have produced 333,000 tonnes of recycled sand, which competes with mined products on the market. We are finding more contractors are requesting recycled sand for use in construction projects and, by doing so, are helping make a positive difference to the climate emergency.
