The Council is undergoing the first carbon neutral road resurfacing scheme in North East as part of their ambitious aim to become a Carbon Neutral Borough by 2030.
Work started last week to resurface Stirling Road in Redcar, the first street involved in this scheme. Further resurfacing is to be done in Marske and Moorsholm.
The project, which was procured and awarded through the North East Procurement Organisation (NEPO 210) Highway Surfacing Framework, is run by Miles Macadam, one of the first enterprises in the surfacing industry to become carbon neutral. Miles Macadam work with an innovative surfacing product, Milepave, which, due to the materials used and a production process that requires lower temperature, leads to a reduction in aggregate, bitumen and fossil fuels, lowering the carbon footprint of conventional road surfacing by 35%. In addition, using a Carbon Neutral contractor ensures that there are no indirect carbon emissions attributable to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, facilitating the Council’s ultimate aim of achieving Carbon Neutrality.
The amount of carbon footprint produced, after being measured by a bespoke carbon calculator, will be offset through a Verified Tree Planting Carbon Scheme and this will also be recognised by planting trees around the Borough, through Miles Macadam.
Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Cllr Cliff Foggo said: “Highway maintenance is an essential part in preserving our road network. Providing this service, whilst looking to help tackle climate change, is important to us.
“Being able to calculate how much carbon footprint is produced by the resurfacing process allows us to compensate these emissions by planting the necessary number of trees in the area which means the project will not have any negative impact on the environment.”
Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Culture, Cllr Louise Westbury said: “Over the past years we have made significant efforts within our Climate Change Strategy in our commitment to achieve Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2030. We are pleased that we contracted Miles Macadam, an enterprise which shares our ambition for a carbon neutral future, to undergo such an innovative project which will bring us closer to our target.”
Miles Macadam said: “ We are extremely pleased to be working with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council on this scheme and are grateful for the opportunity to promote lower carbon resurfacing techniques, embracing innovation to assist Climate Change”.