I visited a Lye-based waste recycling company with the West Midlands Mayor Andy Street that is a UK-first processing centre to clean up contaminated soil from Brownfield sites.
We visited Pegasus Grab Hire, based in Bott Lane, to see first-hand the soil washing process that could help more brownfield sites across the West Midlands and the UK become housing rather than building on greenfield land.
The owner Tony Hall explained the process - materials go in a screener and are filtered and separated out. Chemicals then separate out silt in the dirty water before further filtering
The waste is turned into concrete which can then go back to the developers for their use. The system can process up to 1,000 tons a day.
This brilliant business is expanding, it now employs 250 people – many of them local- and it is one of the jewels in the crown in my constituency.
It was really important for Andy and I to see what is being achieved in recycling by this company and how it could have big implications for developing brownfield sites, not only in the West Midlands, but across the whole country.
My opposition to building on greenfields is well known. I would be delighted if this technology – based right here in Lye - was able to help brownfield first building policies across the nation.
