Alan Langlois inspects the quality of the material required for concrete production.
Regenerative construction
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hat is RURAL magazine doing, sniffing about the operations base of AAL Recycling Ltd? Its location, at the far end of the La Collette road that takes in the Recycling Centre and ‘Green Waste’ is an extensive facility - mountains of glass, rubble and construction waste. But it’s not at all ‘rural’ - it’s about as urban and man-made as you can get. No cows, grass or crops to be seen anywhere. The clue, of course, is in the name, ‘AAL Recycling’. The company is doing its bit - as a pioneer in construction industry recycling and in minimising waste from both commercial and domestic waste products.
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We are indeed a ‘circular economy’ company. When buildings are demolished, we take the rubble that would otherwise go to landfill - clean it, crush it, and produce lots of quality assured products
t re nc o c Set
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The concept of ‘regenerative agriculture’ has now become fairly familiar; ‘regenerative construction’ is still an area for pioneers. In Jersey, the leading pioneer is Alan Langlois of AAL Recycling. He spoke to Alasdair Crosby
‘People are talking about the ‘circular economy’,’ said the managing director, Alan Langlois. ‘Broadly speaking, it can be summed up as Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. As far as the construction industry is concerned, that sector is one of the world's largest waste generators. The notion of a ‘circular economy’ is a helpful solution to diminish the environmental impact of the industry. For example, end-of-life buildings can be deconstructed, so creating construction elements that can be used for creating new buildings as well as freeing up space for new development.’ So much for the philosophical overview. What is the practical application of the ‘circular economy’ in Jersey for his company?
