The UK Atlas of Mineral Waste

Each year, the UK generates more than 150 million tonnes of mineral waste. 

Comprising of all manner of rubble, ashes and residues, this waste comes from all sectors of our economy - ranging from power generation to construction, manufacturing consumer products to black bin bag waste. However, current UK statistics give little insight into the makeup, composition and source of these materials.

This project aims to make that information accessible, drawing from a range of data sources to provide interactive maps representing best estimates of the UK’s mineral waste by individual material type alongside typical compositional information.

In the first instance, the purpose of sharing this resource is to highlight the sheer volume of waste generated, particularly by the construction sector which accounts for more than 60% of all waste generated in the UK, and yet more still if you consider the upstream wastes generated from the extraction of mineral resources and production of building materials.

Secondly, it is hoped these maps and the associated compositional information can provide a resource for designers, researchers and businesses in order to promote the re-use of these materials. Whilst no match for waste reduction, re-use can at least provide viable alternatives to extracting further virgin resources, and in some instances, reducing carbon emissions.

This project was created by Lewis Jones. For further information on the source data and methodology used in this data, please refer to the paper Circular ceramics: Mapping UK mineral waste. If you've found this information helpful, or if you have any feedback or questions, please get in touch.