In 1989, 96 million tonnes of aggregate were used in road construction in the UK and it is estimated that the current road building plans of the Department of Transport will require a massive 510 million tonnes.

The report went on to recommend that 'the proportion of recycled materials used in road construction should be doubled by 2005 and doubled again by 2015'. The targets set by the Royal Commission are not incompatible, but the realisation of these targets would require planning policy changes to encourage alternative sources of construction materials to enter the market. Alternative materials in road construction considers what policy changes the Government could make to encourage the use of waste materials and then lists the various options available to road engineers as potential substitutes with practical advice and guidance on their benefits and pitfalls.

* Part 1: Requirements for roadmaking materials
* Part 2: Alternative materials available - quantities, locations, general properties and potential uses
* Part 3: Environmental and economic considerations
* Part 4: References