Asphalt and road planings used in construction
What you must do
Storing, treating and reusing planings
If you dispose of asphalt planings or other materials from your works, you must comply with your duty of care responsibilities.
To store, treat, and use road planings and excavated sub-base, you will need authorisation from your environmental regulator.
In Northern Ireland, If what you need is an exemption, it will be a paragraph 19 exemption.
If you have an exemption, you must comply with the exemption conditions.
You must register this exemption with the NIEA.
You must still ensure that your activity does not:
- endanger human health or cause pollution to water, air or soil
- constitute a risk to plants or animals
- cause a nuisance in terms of noise and odour
- adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest
In Scotland, treating asphalt road planings in a milling machine is considered a Low Risk Waste Activity and does not require authorisation, provided that the treatment occurs at the place the waste asphalt was produced.
Prevent pollution
Asphalt planings can contain a high level of contaminants. These contaminants can be picked up by rainwater passing through a stockpile or can seep out into the ground.
You must prevent contaminants from planings leaching into the ground or into watercourses. Planings should be covered and stored on an impermeable surface. Rainwater that runs through the planings can pick up contaminants and transport them into the groundwater or nearby watercourses. Water run-off should be collected and tested for contamination before you decide how it should be disposed of.
Plan your site so that you can safely store planings for use as part of your works.
Roadstone coating plants
The implementation of the Waste Incineration Directive has placed tighter controls on roadstone coating plants that use waste oil in the process. All roadstone coating plants that use waste oil must have an authorisation to operate:
- In Northern Ireland, this will be a Pollution Prevention and Control permit
- In Scotland, this will be an EASR permit
Good practice
Scotland
SEPA has produced guidance on the production of fully recovered asphalt road planings.
Northern Ireland
SEE ALSO: Construction sector guidance