OKEHAMPTON?S innovative recycling centre on the Exeter Road Industrial Estate which opened last year has won a prestigious national award. Devon County Council?s recycling centre has won the 2004 Edmund Hambly Medal for sustainable construction, awarded by the Institution of Civil Engineers. Okehampton is the first of Devon?s recycling centres to be built almost entirely, where construction standards allow, from recycled and re-used materials. The county council?s engineering design group ensured the centre would have a minimal effect on the environment through careful design and specification. Civil engineering contractor Warwick Contractors, of Exeter and Barnstaple, also made a major contribution by ensuring materials used in the construction were local, recycled or re-used wherever possible. The company also managed the site to minimise pollution and reduce the impact on the environment. Examples of environmentally-friendly materials used on the site included: l Tarmac and building blocks made from crushed glass from Devon?s bottle banks and recycled crushed rock from Meldon Quarry l Concrete with a high content of material reclaimed from China Clay spoil heaps l Recycled tarmac from road maintenance jobs in Devon for the bottom layers of road construction l Cladding and fencing made from recycled black bin liners l Bollards and benches made from recycled plastic. Devon County Council?s executive member for environment, Cllr David Morrish, said: ?Using recycled materials saved nearly 3,000 tonnes of virgin stone and 600 tonnes of topsoil. The project demonstrates that recycled materials can be used without significant increases in cost or reduction in durability. Working together we have saved many tonnes of raw materials and reduced the impact of the construction on Devon?s environment.? The site on the Exeter Road Industrial Estate is proving popular as a site for local householders to take their bulky household rubbish for recycling. Devon County Council says the recycling rate to date is more than 70%. People also have the opportunity to buy second-hand goods at the centre.
