Construction Waste Recycling
Construction Waste Recycling in Cumbria
Clean concrete, brick, block, stone and hardcore crushed, screened and sent back out as aggregate. We do it at our recycling centre just outside Maryport, and on larger sites we bring the crushing plant to the material.
- Registered recycling centre near Maryport
- Loads weighed in the cab
- Grading certification available
- Crushing on site for larger jobs
Why recycle
Most of it is not really waste
Most of what comes out of a demolition job or a groundworks dig can be crushed, screened and used again on the next job.
Out of landfill
Clean inert material goes back into use instead of into the ground.
Costs less than tipping
Recycling inert waste avoids most of the landfill tax, gate fees and haulage of sending it to landfill.
Local aggregate
A local source of sub-base and bedding that has not had to come out of a quarry, usually cheaper than stone brought in from further away.
Easy to report
Many clients and planning conditions now ask how much waste was kept out of landfill. Weighed loads make that easy to report.
- Landfill tax, standard rate£130.75 a tonne
- Qualifying inert material£8.65 a tonne
- Landfill tax in England from 1 April 2026, before gate fees and haulage are added. On one housing demolition contract, our client estimated that more than 95% of the waste was recycled; you can read their comments on our testimonials page.
How it works
From your site and back again
-
Separate it on site
Keep inert material apart from timber, metal, plastics, plasterboard and general waste. A mixed skip costs more to deal with and recycles less. Our own demolition work follows the same rule.
-
Haul it
Our 20 tonne tipper wagons collect from local sites. In-cab weighing weighs each load as it is lifted.
-
Crush and screen
Material goes through our crushing and screening equipment and is graded into stock products.
-
Send it back out
Recycled aggregate goes back to site in anything from a few tonnes to over 100,000 tonnes.
-
Put the rest to use
Clean inert spoil not suited to aggregate caps a redundant colliery site, turning it back into land that will eventually grow bio-willow for a local biomass plant.
Recycled products
Aggregate from our yard
- Type 1 sub-base
- 6F5 capping material
- 10 mm and 20 mm pipe bedding
- Paving sand
- Topsoil
There is more about the yard itself on our waste disposal and recycling page.
Graded to your specification
Grading certification is available. Tell us the specification you are working to and we will confirm whether stock material meets it.
Crushing on site
Crush it where it lies
Where a site has enough hardcore, it is often cheaper to crush it where it lies than to haul it away and buy stone back in. The crushed material can go straight back down as:
We can bring our crushing system to site along with the loading plant and tipper wagons to go with it.
Paperwork before the crusher arrives
- Mobile crushers operate under a local authority permit.
- Crushing waste on site also needs either a registered waste exemption or an environmental permit, depending on the quantities involved and how the material will be used.
- Dust and noise need managing too, especially near houses.
Talk to us early in the programme and none of this needs to hold the job up.
Duty of care
The paperwork that protects you
Anyone who produces or handles waste has a legal duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and that responsibility does not end when the wagon leaves your gate.
Registered carrier
Check that whoever takes your waste is a registered waste carrier. The Environment Agency's public register takes a minute to search.
Transfer notes
A waste transfer note for each load, or a season ticket covering repeated loads of the same waste. Keep transfer notes for at least two years, and hazardous waste consignment notes for three.
The right waste code
Describe the waste properly with its List of Waste code. Mixed concrete and brick is usually 17 01 07; clean soil and stones 17 05 04.
The waste hierarchy
Confirm you have applied the waste hierarchy, which puts reuse and recycling ahead of disposal.
Hazardous kept apart
Keep hazardous material out of inert loads. Asbestos, contaminated soil and coal-tar-bound asphalt all need separate handling.
The rules are tightening
Digital waste tracking is being rolled out, starting with permitted waste receiving sites in England from October 2026, and waste carriers are due to move from simple registration to a permit regime, expected during 2027.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What can be recycled into aggregate?
Clean concrete, brick, block, stone, tiles and general hardcore all crush well. Plaster, timber, plastics, soil and rubbish mixed through a load lower the quality of the end product, so the cleaner it arrives the better. If you are unsure about a load, ask before it is tipped.
Is recycled Type 1 as good as quarried stone?
When it is produced and graded to the specification, recycled sub-base is accepted on a wide range of work. Always check your designer's or client's specification, and ask for the grading certificate for the material you are supplied.
Can asbestos or contaminated soil go in with inert waste?
No. Hazardous waste has to be identified, kept separate and taken to a facility permitted to accept it. On our own demolition jobs, asbestos is dealt with before the main demolition starts so it never ends up in the crusher.
Do I need a transfer note for a single load?
Yes. Every transfer of waste needs a transfer note, even a single wagon. For regular loads of the same waste between the same parties, a season ticket covering up to a year can be used instead.
How do I arrange tipping or buy aggregate?
Use our contact page, which lists who to speak to about tipping, stone and crushing. Let us know the material, the rough tonnage and where the site is.
Tipping, stone or crushing?
Let us know the material, the rough tonnage and where the site is. If you are unsure about a load, ask before it is tipped.