Environmental costs of aggregates

Significant environmental costs are incurred by quarrying for aggregates according to a report published today by the DETR. The report identifies and puts a value on the environmental costs associated with the supply of aggregates.

The results are significantly higher than the interim results reported in March. The inclusion of more data and additional analysis has raised significantly the estimate of the environmental cost of quarrying in national parks. The cost of nearly £11 per tonne compares to £6 per tonne reported in March. The estimated environmental cost of the local impacts arising from hard rock aggregate quarries remains very similar to the interim results. The cost in the case of sand and gravel sites have increased, however, from £1.10 per tonne to £1.96 following adjustments to take account of the under-representation of small sites in the overall sample of sites surveyed.

The report "The Environmental Costs and Benefits of the Supply of Aggregates, Phase 2" (ISBN 1-851121-179- X) #48 can be purchased from: Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Publication Sales Centre, Unit 21, Goldthorpe Industrial Estate, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, S63 9BL.