Aggregates in the United Kingdom
In the UK, Incinerator Bottom Ash Aggregate (IBAA) has been used for over 20 years as a construction material. IBAA gives our customers a cost-effective, low carbon and sustainable alternative to primary aggregates. Blue Phoenix has operated in the UK since 1998 and currently has 11 operational facilities processing over 1.4 million tonnes of IBA per annum. Energy-from-Waste (EfW) plants are a key UK Government strategic solution for dealing with municipal solid waste (MSW) and a more sustainable alternative to landfills. We have processed more than 13 million tonnes of IBA to date and work closely with regulators to ensure environmental protection is at the forefront of our day-to-day activities.
In 2022, we supplied IBAA to approximately 1100 road construction and infrastructure projects across the UK. IBAA can be used in many different applications, ranging from the construction platforms for building commercial/industrial units to road/pavement construction. IBAA can also be used as a constituent in Hydraulically Bound Mixtures (HBM) such as CBGM and SBM. In addition to a lower Co2e per tonne, IBAA has a lower density than Limestone and Granite which adds additional carbon savings when projects choose IBAA. These benefits are recorded in each of our case studies, which summarise the reduction in tonnage required to supply that contract when compared to 100% primary alternative.