The ash comes from Cory’s Riverside Resource Recovery energy-from-waste (EfW) facility in Belvedere, London, which is undergoing operational trials before its official opening later this year.

The ash is transformed into an aggregate before being transported to the M25 to help widen the roads between the Dartford Tunnel and Junction 29 near Romford.

When up and running, the Belvedere plant will produce up to 170,000 tonnes of bottom ash each year. Cory has opened a new processing facility for the ash at Tilbury Docks in Essex in conjunction with partners Ballast Phoenix.

The recycled ash aggregate can replace primary and secondary aggregates in many road building applications and a range of other construction projects.

Riverside Resource Recovery’s director Andy Pike said: “This is an important demonstration of closing the loop in the EfW process. Many critics of EfW claim that IBA is unusable and is only good for landfilling.

“This is clearly not the case. IBA from Riverside is being recycled in an effective manner, potentially saving the use of virgin materials and reducing carbon emissions.”

Maxine Perella

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe