If there’s one lesson from our work in South Wales, it’s that the circular economy only works when people work together.
At Dauson Environmental Group, we sit at the centre of a network that connects demolition, remediation, construction and resource management. Every stage depends on the next. It’s that integration – and the collaboration behind it – that turns waste into something valuable again.
A good example is the Channel View regeneration in Cardiff’s Grangetown. It’s a major Cardiff Council scheme that will replace 1970s housing with hundreds of low-carbon homes, new public spaces and green infrastructure. Behind the scenes, it’s also a model for circular construction.
Through our subsidiary Atlantic Recycling, we take in the construction waste from the site, separate the inert materials and process them through our sister company Neal Soil Suppliers. The recycled aggregate is rigorously tested, ensuring it meets the recognised industry standards, ready for reuse. From there, we work with Cemex, who use that aggregate in new ready-mixed concrete which goes straight back to the same project.
It’s a closed loop, completed through trust, communication and shared goals between ourselves as the recycler, Cemex as the manufacturer and Wates, the construction contractor at the heart of the Channel View development. Together we embrace the principles and the benefits that the circular economy brings to the local area. Each organisation brings something essential: the contractor, the recycler, the materials producer. None of it works in isolation.
Too often, parts of our industry still operate in silos. Businesses are cautious about sharing information or partnering beyond their immediate contracts. But circularity depends on openness – not just between companies, but across sectors and supply chains. It requires a willingness to align processes, to test and verify materials together, and to have confidence in the quality of what’s produced.
Quality is crucial. There’s still a perception that recycled materials mean lower standards. That simply isn’t the case. When the right investment is made in technology, processes and testing, the results can match primary materials. The Channel View project proves it. It gives developers the confidence to specify recycled aggregates and shows what can be achieved when collaboration replaces caution.
Wales has made remarkable progress in recycling. Two decades ago, very little waste was recycled; today, we’re second in the world. The next step is to push beyond recycling towards reuse, repair and redesign, and that will demand even closer collaboration between industry, academia and policy-makers.
We’re starting to see that happen. Our own partnership with Teesside University is exploring how construction waste can be turned into ultra-low-carbon alternatives to cement. It’s an ambitious project, but it represents the kind of innovation that’s only possible when knowledge is shared and different disciplines work together.
Policy will also have an important role. If public sector procurement embeds circular principles – valuing reuse and low-carbon materials in tenders – it will help scale up the kind of collaboration we’re already seeing on the ground. That would bring clear environmental gains, but also local economic ones: skilled jobs, resilient supply chains and value retained in Welsh communities.
Circularity isn’t a single project or a single company’s achievement. It’s a collective effort and one that depends on the confidence to share, the curiosity to innovate and the commitment to make change happen together.
Ben Maizey talks about this and more in the Green Economy Wales podcast episode Unlocking Wales’ Circular Economy Potential. Listen to the podcast here.
