Heidelberg Materials UK says it has produced zero concrete waste at its Greenwich plant in London, recovering all aggregates and cementitious fines from returned concrete.
A new concrete waste recycling system installed at the site, based at Victoria Deep Water, recovers aggregates and cementitious fines from returned concrete for use in new material production. The system also allows all water used to clean trucks to be reused.
The Greenwich plant supplies a low-carbon concrete range including evoZero carbon-captured near-zero cement, evoBuild GGBS, limestone fines, natural pozzolans and calcined clay. It can also supply recycled crushed concrete aggregate (CCA) as a substitute for primary aggregate in ready-mixed concrete production.
The site is also equipped with CarbonCure technology, which the company says reduces the CO2 associated with concrete by around 7-11kg/m3. The process involves injecting manufactured CO2 into fresh concrete, which undergoes a chemical reaction to become permanently mineralised, making hydration more efficient.
Heidelberg Materials says this delivers stronger concrete, locks in CO2 permanently – including at end of life – and allows cement content to be reduced by an average of 5%.
Greenwich also houses a concrete lab and the company’s evoHub training centre, where contractors, consultants and engineers can see lower-carbon concrete solutions in practice.
Daniel Clayton, concrete technical director at Heidelberg Materials UK, said: “Our Greenwich concrete plant is a great example of our commitment to investing in innovation and decarbonising our business so that we can provide our customers with lower carbon construction materials that support the circular economy.”
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