expanded circular construction hub in sunderland set to process 250,000 tonnes of waste material a year

Holcim UK has significantly expanded its recycling operations at Sunderland Docks, creating the company’s first large-scale integrated circular construction hub in North East England and strengthening its ambition to accelerate circular construction across the region.
 

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The expanded site, operated by Northumbrian Roads (NRL), a member of Holcim, will be capable of processing up to 250,000 tonnes of non-hazardous construction and demolition material annually, helping to divert waste from landfill while supplying high-quality recycled materials back into local infrastructure and regeneration projects.

Located on a seven-acre site with a long-established track record in recycled asphalt planings (RAP), the Sunderland facility will now accept and treat a much broader range of materials, including concrete, utility waste, mixed hardcore, brick and rubble from across the North-East. All material will be processed on site and fully reintegrated into the construction supply chain.

The development positions Sunderland as a key regional circular construction hub within Holcim UK’s growing national circular construction network, which includes facilities in the Midlands, Wiltshire, and London area, and recently acquired sites of Thames Materials in Uxbridge and PJ Thory in Peterborough.

Steve Grimes, General Manager at Northumbrian Roads, said: “This expansion represents a long-term commitment to Sunderland and the wider North East. By creating the capacity to process large volumes of construction waste locally, we are helping to reduce carbon, cut transport miles and support sustainable regeneration across the region.”

Shaun Elliott, Managing Director for Recycling at Holcim UK said: “Circular economy principles are central to our strategy as we work to decarbonise construction and build new from old. Expanding our recycling capability in Sunderland is a key step in delivering our ambitions, it allows us to recover more material, reuse it at scale, and embed circularity into everyday construction across the North East. Further investing into our footprint is essential if the industry is to meet its environmental targets while continuing to support economic growth.”

Materials processed at the site will be reused across Holcim UK’s local operations, with recycled asphalt returned directly to the on-site asphalt plant and recycled concrete feeding into regional ready-mix concrete production. This closed-loop approach ensures 100% of recycled construction and demolition materials are reused, supporting the transition away from virgin raw materials.

The hub will also supply high-quality recycled aggregates to local contractors on both a collection and delivered basis, supporting major regeneration and infrastructure programmes across Sunderland and the wider North East, including riverside redevelopment and transport investment projects.

The Sunderland expansion forms part of Holcim UK’s wider strategy to embed circular economy principles into construction, helping cities build more while wasting less and ensuring materials already in use are kept in circulation for as long as possible.

To find out more about Holcim UK’s role in the circular economy, please click here.