Environmentally friendly material to transform Worcestershire’s footpaths

RECOFOAM® is an environmentally friendly binder course material manufactured by County Council contractor Ringway.

It consists of up to 97 percent recycled materials and reduces carbon emissions by up to 70 percent per ton compared to traditional hot asphalt.

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Councilor Emma Stokes, the city council’s environment cabinet member, said: “Our use of RECOFOAM® represents a significant step forward and we are proud to use it as an excellent example of sustainable footpath infrastructure.”

“By using recycled materials and reducing our carbon footprint, we are protecting our environment and setting a new standard for road construction.”

“This achievement demonstrates our commitment to creating a cleaner, greener Worcestershire for future generations.”

This process reuses residual waste from footpath projects by shredding it and mixing it with foamed bitumen to create a durable binder course material.

It also prevents hazardous materials such as asphalt waste containing coal tar from ending up in landfills.

In 2023 alone, Ringway produced 8,522 tonnes of RECOFOAM® for pavement reconstruction, reducing emissions to 144,874 kg CO₂e – a 74 percent reduction compared to the 553,930 kg CO₂e that conventional materials would have produced.

RECOFOAM® is now the nationwide standard for pavement renovation.