David Tidmarsh, of Aggregate Industries UK, said the government as a client needed to increase confidence in recycling.
Speaking in Bournemouth, Tidmarsh told Building: “We appreciate that quarrying for virgin aggregates has an environmental impact. But at the moment, recycled aggregates only account for about 20% of the market. The government is a major buyer, and it is not
doing enough to set an example to other clients by using recycled aggregates.”
He added: ”What we want is to reach a situation where we top up recycled aggregates with virgin, not the other way around.”
Meanwhile, Tidmarsh dismissed fears that an environmental tax would result in job losses in the quarrying industry. He said quarrying was based on demand, and that the market would be strong so long as there was demand from the construction industry.
The Quarry Products Association has recommended a number of environmental measures to counter the government’s tax plans, such as the introduction of planning fees.
