Aggregate and raw materials
Marley Eternit's products provide no direct risk of pollution to either the air or water. Stable and inert waste products can either be reused, recycled or (where that is not possible) used as bulk material for landscaping etc. On the roads we use eco-friendly, low-emission and fuel-efficient trucks that are regularly serviced. We also make sure that there is a return load for every trip where possible, to optimise vehicle usage.
All of the solid waste from our fibre cement sheets is now recycled by a local cement works and re-used within the cement production process. This reduces the environmental impact of waste to landfill and also reduces raw material usage in the cement manufacturing process. There is an added benefit in that we no longer have to pay to have the waste collected and transported to landfill.
In 2000, we introduced a scheme to make sure that all of the crushed hardcore produced at our Burton site could be used as aggregate replacement. On average our concrete tiles contain in excess of 5% and up to 20% recycled aggregate. The scheme has been introduced at other locations. Of the 450,000 tonnes of aggregate we use each year, in excess of 50,000 tonnes comes from recycling. As well as saving valuable resources, this reduces our impact on local neighbourhoods and reduces the haulage of raw materials.
The remainder of hard waste from production is sent for use in road construction rather than to landfill.