MGL Group Celebrates Global Recycling Day

Recycling is a core part of our sustainability journey, and today we’re celebrating the positive impact our teams are delivering across MGL Group. Global Recycling Day gives us the opportunity to reflect on the initiatives we have introduced to promote a circular economy and drive a more sustainable future. Since 2017, we have diverted over 1,000,000 tonnes of waste from landfill through responsible practices.

One of our proudest achievements has been creating a successful pipeline for materials that would previously have gone to landfill, ensuring they are recycled and reused across our projects.

Our innovative surfacing materials are a key part of this:

• Plastipave® uses recycled plastics, contributing to circular‑economy outcomes and reducing reliance on virgin materials.
• Net Zero Asphalt incorporates recycled plastics, rubber and Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) to significantly reduce embodied carbon.
• Nappipave® integrates pellets made from recycled nappy fibres. Produced by NappiCycle, these pellets recover usable polymer materials from single‑use nappies, which we then incorporate into our asphalt mixes, reducing waste.

These surfacing innovations continue to deliver measurable environmental benefits:

• Plastipave® has recycled the equivalent of 32 million plastic bags or 24 million 2‑litre milk cartons since 2018, turning waste into durable, high‑performance roads.
• Net Zero Asphalt schemes have already removed 349,524 kg CO₂e.
• A trial using Nappipave® diverted 4,200 nappies from landfill and saved 5.96 tonnes CO₂e.

With the addition of our new Soil Wash Plant at Newburn, we can transform soil‑bound construction waste into high‑quality recycled aggregates and washed sand. The process recovers up to 90% of the water used, and repurposing 500,000 tonnes of material can save 84,000 tonnes CO₂e every year.

By prioritising recycling and circular‑economy solutions, we are reducing environmental impact and safeguarding vital resources for future generations.