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Circular economy boost for North East as MGL Group invests in CDE waste recycling plant

One of the largest privately-owned civil engineering and demolition companies in the North of England has announced a strategic investment in a new construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling plant, designed and engineered by wet processing experts CDE.

In a region with increasingly limited primary sand and gravel resources, a long-term strategy to ensure a consistent supply of sustainably sourced construction materials is critical to meet increasing demand.

To help meet the needs of the local market, family-owned and -operated business MGL Group has revealed plans for a new 160 tonnes per hour C&D waste recycling plant to be commissioned at the group’s recycling facility at Newburn, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Newcastle contains very small pockets of known sand and gravel deposits, most of which are of low quality and are poorly located making their extraction unfeasible and the environmental impact of such activities unacceptable.

Mark Davison, joint chief executive of MGL Group, said: “We aim to enhance our waste management capabilities by diverting high-value material from landfill and returning that quality recycled sand and aggregate to good use in the construction industry. CDE impressed us with their expertise and deep understanding of our needs, instilling real confidence in us with their commitment to engineering a solution that will help us strengthen our own environmental commitments and deliver even greater social value for the North East.”

Between 2019 and 2021, sales of recycled aggregates rose by approximately 21% across Tyne and Wear with a three-year average of 324,000 tonnes.

Mark added: “Recycling and reusing materials will achieve significant carbon savings. It will help us to greatly reduce our overall carbon footprint and it will play an instrumental role on our pathway to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.”

According to data from the 2019 Aggregate Minerals Survey for England and Wales, the North East consumed 7.5 million tonnes of primary aggregate compared to sales totalling 7.3 million tonnes, making the region a net importer of mineral resources..

CDE business development manager, Mike Bibby said: “In a region where the availability of natural reserves is in decline, it is becoming increasingly evident that we need to adapt a circular approach to C&D waste to channel back into the industry as much available material as possible. Yes, that means having to process more and more challenging material, however CDE’s proven waste recycling solutions are up to the task. The solution we have engineered for MGL Group will support the business to reduce its reliance on virgin sand and aggregate while ensuring a steady supply of materials to the industry, and it will help the business to produce those materials closer to source to minimise haulage costs.”