Turning Gully Waste into Gold: How Greener Asphalt’s Drying Plant Powers a Circular Economy
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From Waste Problem to Circular Opportunity
Highways maintenance is an essential part of keeping the UK moving, but behind the scenes it generates a challenge that many don’t see - gully waste. Every year, thousands of tonnes of this damp, heavy material is collected from roadside drains. Traditionally, it’s been a costly headache, destined for disposal and landfill.
What if gully waste could be transformed into something valuable instead of discarded? At Greener Asphalt, we’ve developed an innovative drying plant that does just that; recycling gully waste into high-quality BS3882-certified topsoil. This solution not only closes the loop on waste but also provides local authorities and contractors with a reliable, sustainable, and cost effective resource.
Highways projects using Greener Asphalt’s drying plant technology were recognised as finalists in the Environmental and Sustainability category of the Highways Awards 2025, a testament to the growing impact of circular economy practices in highways.
Gully Waste & The Environmental Cost
Every local authority faces the same dilemma. With thousands of gully pots to maintain, counties generate upwards of 1,500 tonnes of gully waste each year. The material is messy, mixed and saturated with water, which makes it expensive to transport and difficult to reuse.
Traditionally, waste contractors would wash and process gully waste to extract a small proportion of sand and gravel. The rest would be classified as residual waste and sent to landfill. This approach is far from sustainable: it relies on dwindling landfill capacity, creates high disposal costs, and adds unnecessary carbon emissions from endless lorry trips.
Even where recycling was attempted, the seasonal nature of topsoil demand created another problem. Contractors often struggled to guarantee year round availability of usable soil, meaning they still relied on buying in commercial topsoil at premium prices.
This has led to a broken system where valuable resources were lost, costs kept rising, and environmental targets were harder to meet.
Greener Asphalt’s Innovative Mobile Drying System
Greener Asphalt, in collaboration with Staffordshire Highways and MTS Environmental, set out to change this. Over four years, we developed a mobile drying plant that could transform gully waste into a consistent, usable product.
Here’s how it works:
The drying unit removes excess water, reducing weight and therefore transport costs.
The material is screened, processed, and blended to create a uniform output.
The end result is BS3882-compliant topsoil, suitable for landscaping, verge dressing and grounds maintenance.
This isn’t just a recycling machine, it’s a full circular economy system. Instead of hauling material away for disposal, local authorities can reuse it directly on their projects, keeping the loop closed and the benefits local.
Beyond gully waste, the technology is versatile. The drying plant can also process utility spoil, rail ballast, glass, and organic waste, opening the door to even broader applications in the circular economy.
The Circular Economy in Action
The real power of the drying plant lies in its ability to turn waste into resources on a meaningful scale. Over the last two years, projects using the drying plant have recovered 2,200+ tonnes of gully waste and converted it into topsoil for highways use.
In just six months, more than 40 projects were supplied with soil produced from the plant. The savings were significant:
● £32,000 saved annually in topsoil purchases.
● £16,000 saved in logistics costs.
● Countless tonnes of carbon avoided by reducing landfill and transport.
Perhaps most importantly, the drying plant created a year-round supply of affordable, high-quality topsoil, something contractors had previously struggled to secure. Instead of depending on seasonal demand, they could now rely on an endless supply, at half the cost of commercial alternatives.
This is the circular economy at its best: waste that once drained resources now fuels new value, saving money, cutting carbon, and supporting greener highways.
The Environmental & Commercial Benefits
The drying plant delivers benefits on multiple levels:
- Carbon Reduction: With fewer lorry trips and less landfill dependency, every tonne of recycled material contributes to lower emissions and greener operations.
- Cost Savings: By producing topsoil at half the commercial market rate, local authorities can reinvest savings into other essential services.
- Compliance Confidence: BS3882 certification ensures the soil meets national standards, giving contractors confidence in quality and usability.
- Circular Economy Leadership: Councils and contractors can demonstrate real action on sustainability, not just promises.
- Community Value: Faster, cleaner verge works and fewer lorries on the road mean happier residents and less disruption.
For highways teams under pressure to deliver more with less, this is a practical, scalable solution that proves sustainability and cost efficiency can go hand in hand.
UK Highways Awards Finalist
The impact of the drying plant hasn’t gone unnoticed. The project was shortlisted in the Environmental and Sustainability category at the Highways Awards 2025, standing alongside some of the most innovative initiatives in the sector.
Being recognised at this level validates not only the technology but also the commitment of the teams involved to push for better, greener infrastructure. It shows that what started as a trial has become a benchmark for how highways authorities can deliver on their environmental commitments.
Why Greener Asphalt Solutions Lead the Way
At Greener Asphalt, our mission is simple - to make highways and utilities more sustainable by putting circular economy solutions into practice.
Our drying plant is just one example of how we’re turning waste into opportunity. Alongside our zero-waste asphalt recycling and aggregate machines, we’re building a portfolio of solutions that help clients meet compliance, reduce carbon, and achieve genuine savings.
Whether it’s recycling asphalt onsite, producing topsoil from gully waste, or exploring new ways to repurpose materials, we’re always pushing for innovation that serves both the environment and the bottom line.
The withdrawal of outdated regulatory frameworks like RPS 298 is pushing the highways sector toward higher environmental standards. But with change comes opportunity.
Greener Asphalt’s drying plant proves that what was once a waste burden can now become a resource; one that saves money, reduces carbon, and provides endless availability of topsoil for highways projects. With projects using our drying plant recognised at the Highways Awards 2025, the technology is proving to be more than just a machine, it’s part of a blueprint for the future of sustainable highways.
If your projects are still sending gully waste to landfill, now is the time to rethink your approach. Get in touch with Greener Asphalt today to explore how our drying technology and recycling solutions can cut your costs, ensure compliance, and lead the way in environmental performance.