The circular economy is one of the most important topics at the moment. The goal is to protect the environment by reducing how much waste goes to landfill. A fantastic way to do this is to divert as much of it as possible for reuse and recycling. A new project at Silvertown, Newham will be a big help in showcasing what is possible here.
A brand new hub
Tipping Point East is an incredible project with impressive backing from leading names in regenerative design and practice. The charity is working with the Mayor of London and Newham Borough Council to promote a circular economy.
The incredible thing is TPE believes they can divert an 950 tonnes of materials from landfill in the next five years. Instead, these resources will be reused or recycled. It will be massively beneficial for the environment. Operating from a 20,000sq/m light industrial site in Silvertown, the project has the potential to be the largest of its kind in Europe.
TPE will focus on recycling and refurbishing construction products to keep them in circulation. They will process waste in one of the factory units. At the same time, they will demonstrate practical reuse applications for all these different materials. Additionally, they will be providing education, training, work experience, and more.
Local benefits
TPE's location in Silvertown is fantastic. It's an opportunity area with the potential to provide up to 36,000 new homes. Having a new circular construction hub to offer materials locally is huge. It will help to facilitate low carbon construction. As a result, the area could become a hotspot for some of the most innovative green residential architecture.
A key thing here is TPE shows how beneficial it is to use local materials. Instead of materials going into landfill locally and the resulting impact on the environment, they can become new buildings. This reduces the need to use new resources and ship materials from elsewhere. Overall, it is really positive for the environment and Net Zero goals.
The circular construction hub is initially only a meanwhile project for the next five years. The land is earmarked for redevelopment in the long term, so it could become something else if plans move forward. However, TPE is hoping they will be able to stay for longer.