The recycling firm has developed a new offering for small local operators to provide the full range of recycled, decorative and quarried aggregates for Leicester and the wider Leicestershire county and East Midlands region building trade.
Based at its urban recycling quarry in Syston St East, the company recycled more than 150,000 tonnes of material in 2020, as AR Aggregates.
Now, recognising the opportunity to provide a unique service in the area and capitalise on a vibrant local construction economy, operations manager Darren Thompson has decided to implement a change of emphasis.
Almost half of the relaunch funding has been spent on a tipper lorry for small deliveries up to four tonnes—the rest spent on branding activity, including a new livery for Aggrecycle’s large lorries.
The latest investment comes on the back of a £900,000 investment in state-of-the-art German crushing and screening machinery in late 2019.
Darren, who runs Aggrecycle alongside his brother, managing director Andrew Thompson, said: “We’re perfectly set up now to offer a flexible service to small businesses and sole traders in Leicester city, Leicestershire and the East Midlands, looking for quality aggregates.
“We always wanted to create a facility which is easy to access and collect from, with a range of clean and high-quality products to suit the needs of domestic and small industrial projects.
“Our high-tech weighbridges provide accurate product measurements with the efficiency of an in-and-out service, in turn helping with the smooth flow of traffic around our site.
“So, we want to let small businesses know that there’s a flexible, expert and sustainable alternative for buying aggregates – whether it’s the recycled products that we turn around here or specialist quarried materials from our suppliers.
“We’ll deliver, too. That way, local traders, as well as the larger businesses that we deal with, can get what they – and their customers – need in the way that it’s needed.”
Andrew leads a team of qualified managers, site operatives and experienced HGV drivers at the urban quarry.
He said there is a growing market for clean, quality recycled materials in the building trade and that perceptions were beginning to change as the concept became more accepted.
“We know from our experience in construction and demolition that 99.9 per cent of spoil arising from these projects can be recycled. It’s part of our job to make that happen.
“Technology and equipment are so good now that the products we provide are indistinguishable from freshly quarried materials, so it makes sense to use them wherever possible.
“We’re keen to help reduce the carbon footprint of the regional construction industry by minimising landfill and keeping the supply of aggregates local to Leicestershire.
“If we can do that, by careful pre-planning and maximising the segregation of materials arising during construction processes, then there’s no reason not to either recycle every possible element or arrange for it to happen.
“People talk about the circular economy – we’re putting it into action. We’re keen to work locally if possible and help see our materials, most of which come from local projects, re-used as the basis for new construction projects.”
