Did You Know?

QUARRY FACTS

• There are over 1,300 quarries in Britain supported by a fleet of 25 marine aggregate dredgers. Together, they produce some 210 million tonnes of aggregates a year.
• Land permitted for mineral extraction accounts for about 0.3% of the total land area in the UK.
• Extraction and transportation of land-won minerals generate an estimated 4.25 million tonnes of CO 2 per year- less than 1% of national annual carbon.
• Aggregates and quarry products are key contributors to the £100 billion pa value of construction output which is 7% of the economy.
• More than 700 of the UK’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) have their origins in quarrying.
• Latest figures show around 14,300 hectares of land being quarried, 434 hectares prepared for quarrying and over 860 hectares restored in a typical year.
• A typical house requires 60 tonnes of aggregate. Minerals are used in all aspects of construction- from the foundations of your house up to the tiles on the roof.
• The industry provides employment for an estimated 88,000 people - 38,000 directly and 50,000 indirectly
• Recycled and secondary aggregates annual sales have grown to around 67 million tonnes a year.

WASTE FACTS

• Total waste to landfill fell by 19% between 2000/01 and 2006, from 80 million tonnes to 65 million tonnes.
• Households in England produce 28.7 million tonnes of waste every year. Over half of this consists of recyclable garden waste, waste paper and board, and kitchen waste.
• The UK produces 434 m tonnes of waste each year - enough waste to fill the Albert Hall every 2 hours.
• Over 50% of renewable energy in the UK is generated from waste; 28% comes from landfill gas and 23% comes from energy from waste facilities- generating the equivalent of 726,000 tonnes of oil, enough power for over 250,000 homes.
• Current UK recycling of paper, glass, plastics, aluminum and steel is estimated to save more than 18 million tonnes of CO2 a year through avoided primary material production.