Information on Loughborough

Old chippings bring new life to roads

Posted on 18/06/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Highways, Transportation & Waste Management

18 June 2009

Old chippings bring new life to roads

Around 6,000 tonnes of recycled chippings will be re-used on Leicestershire's roads this summer.

Over the next few months, almost £2.3 million will be spent on re-surfacing to extend the life of the county’s roads and pavements by up to 10 years.

This involves re-using chippings which were swept up last year and sent to the County Council’s special recycling facility at Battram for washing and separating.

These are added to new bitumen and rolled to give a skid-resistant surface, extending the life of the road by up to 10 years - the recycled chippings make up over a quarter of the 22,000 tonnes used throughout the season.

During re-surfacing, roads are swept by machines at least three times within 28 days of the dressing being applied to collect any loose chippings.

Matthew Lugg, the County Council's Director of Highways and Transportation, said: "Surfacing-dressing is the most cost-effective way of keeping our roads in good condition. It costs around 80% less than other surfacing techniques and recycling chippings saves over £60,000 a season.

"The County Council actively recycles and minimises waste wherever possible and highways work is no exception. We strive to be at the forefront of the public sector industry, whether it's trialling new technology, making savings through collaborations or simply in our day-to-day operation. “

To find out more about surface dressing and see the forthcoming schedule of work, visit: www.leics.gov.uk/surfacedressing .

For general enquiries or to report a problem with a road in the County, call 0116 305 0001.

Notes:

Chippings need to be cleaned to remove dirt and dust so that they bond with the bitumen.

Screened and washed chippings will be sent out to storage sites for use throughout the course of the season.

•The cost to screen and wash old chippings is approx. £8 per tonne.

•New chippings cost approx. £19 per tonne, delivered.