Caring for the environment is an integral part of our business strategy. Our environmental policy includes commitments to review the performance of every site on a regular basis to reduce the potential impact and prevent pollution.
To ensure high standards, we have a documented environmental management system encompassing all our activities. The system is written in accordance with BS EN ISO 14001 - the international standard for environmental management systems. Our principal drivers are efficiency, reducing waste and continuous improvement.
Restoration
We have invested heavily in expertise and resources to ensure our exhausted quarries are restored to the best possible after-use. The aim is to leave behind something as good, or better, than existed before quarrying began. With new planning applications, that process begins right at the start and the restoration plan is often one of the most important aspects of a new quarrying scheme.
Some gravel quarries are returned to agriculture, others are left to fill with water and can have a variety of uses from sailing, water ski-ing and fishing to bird watching and nature conservation. A number of former Hanson sites have become important conservation or educational areas and some have been designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). We have won a number of awards for the quality of our restoration programmes from the Quarry Products Association, which represents the industry’s major operators.
At Middleton Hall quarry, near Tamworth in Staffordshire, Hanson’s restoration work is being promoted within the Central Rivers Project - an initiative aimed at boosting river wildlife in the Tame Valley. The work being done will help to restore traditional habitats and landscape which have been lost over the years, mainly due to changes in agriculture.
Restoration work in the river floodplain over the last 10 years has reintroduced reedbeds, field ponds, meadows, marshland and woodland, which had all disappeared over the years. It has produced a haven for wildlife including otters and a large variety of birds, insects and fish.
A derelict former clay pit at King’s Dyke brick works in Cambridgeshire has been developed as a community nature reserve. Islands were created in the lake which had formed in the bottom of the pit, reed beds were planted, wild flowers sown, a pond dipping area created and trees planted.
The reserve is now an award-winning haven for wildlife – the latest bird count recorded 100 species. There are 18 different species of dragonfly and 21 types of butterfly. Water voles and grass snakes are common sights and red deer have visited during the winter.
Biodiversity
The Hanson UK biodiversity and geodiversity action plan was launched in August 2005 and operates at corporate and site levels. Site action plans relate closely to local bio and geodiversity action plans.
The commitment to produce company-wide bio and geodiversity action plans dates back to April 2000 when Hanson became the first UK quarrying company to sign a memorandum of understanding with English Nature (now Natural England) to improve communications and understanding.
The partnership agreement was designed to provide extra safeguards for landscapes and vital wildlife habitats on our land - we are responsible for over 80 sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) and 68 of them are in England.
Under the agreement, we committed to work to improve standards of conservation management in both active and disused quarries with the aim of maintaining and enhancing our SSSIs. We also pledged to work closely with Natural England when planning restoration schemes and to produce company biodiversity and geodiversity action plans.
The agreement was updated in May 2003 to encompass the marine and building products businesses, and in October 2003 we signed a similar agreement with the Countryside Council for Wales with matching commitments covering our activities in Wales.