Building a Circular Future
In the heart of West London, a community-led research initiative is hoping to redefine society's approach to waste. The Circular Economy Blueprints project brings together POW and four other grassroots organizations operating in Park Royal to lay the groundwork for a bottom-up, circular economy that delivers both environmental and social benefits.
The challenge is staggering: between 1970 and 2010, global resource extraction nearly tripled from 22 billion to 70 billion tonnes. If current consumption patterns continue, humanity will require three planets' worth of resources by 2050 to meet demand. In the UK, our annual material footprint exceeds 975 million tonnes, generating 222 million tonnes of waste, with less than 1% reclaimed or upcycled. Despite technological improvements and policy changes, recycling rates have plateaued for more than a decade, with valuable materials being unnecessarily downcycled or discarded.
Working with Rescued Clay, Recollective, Blast Studio, and Alex Toohey, POW has helped develop five distinct ‘blueprints’ for diverting materials from waste streams, while simultaneously creating social value. These practical approaches tackle construction clay spoil, film set timber, joinery sawdust, concrete formwork, and building demolition materials - demonstrating that community-led organizations can form a crucial bridge between waste-producing industries and the communities that can benefit from these materials.
The Five Circular Economy Blueprints
1. Clay Waste (Rescued Clay)
Slip-cast cups - Rescued Clay
Rescued Clay tackles the issue of construction clay spoil, focusing on the 1.3 million tonnes of London clay already extracted from the nearby HS2 Old Oak Common station site. Rather than this valuable natural resource being transported to distant backfill sites at significant cost, Rescued Clay processes it into usable ceramics clay for a growing market of ceramicists interested in working with local ‘wild’ clay. Their model combines mechanized clay processing with pottery classes and teaching programs, generating social value while reducing carbon emissions by approximately 260kg for every tonne of clay processed.
2. Film and TV Set-Building Waste (Recollective)
Set Waste - ReCollective
Recollective addresses the waste produced by the film and TV industry, where a single production can generate close to 3000 tonnes of CO2. Park Royal's studios alone produce over 500 tonnes of timber waste annually, much of which is nearly new material. Recollective established a professional material collection service with a clear pay-by-tonne pricing model that meets the industry's need for speed and reliability. Through rigorous material auditing and coordinated ‘timelined collections’, they are able to divert high-quality materials to community projects while providing film companies with quantifiable environmental impact data.
3. Joinery Wood Waste (Blast Studio)
Design panels - Blast Studio
Blast Studio developed an innovative solution for the 2000m³ of sawdust and small offcuts generated annually by Park Royal's joineries. Through multiple prototyping rounds, they created composite panel boards using 50% wood waste combined with 50% recycled cardboard coffee cups. The resulting boards can be used in interior settings as a finished surface or as a machinable material for interior fit-outs. Marketed for both its sustainability credentials and local credentials, the material offers joineries a way to transform their waste into a high-value product.
4. Concrete Formwork Waste (POW)
Reclaimed timber wall - POW
Here at POW, we focused on concrete formwork waste - the temporary timber molds used during concrete pouring that are typically disposed of after use. By developing a material grading system and also implementing timelined collections, we can divert usable timbers from waste to individuals and community groups via our Re-Made material shop.
5. Building Demolition Waste (Alex Toohey & Recollective)
Demolition waste recovery - Alex Toohey & ReCollective
The final blueprint, developed by Alex Toohey - an architectural designer - and Recollective, addresses building demolition waste using an existing warehouse earmarked for demolition as a case study. Their detailed audit revealed that the building contains more than 1600 tonnes of embodied carbon across its steel, concrete, brickwork, and other materials. With changing energy regulations putting 5m sqft of Park Royal real estate at risk of demolition by 2030, their blueprint establishes protocols for careful deconstruction and material auditing that can save hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon from being unnecessarily released.
Minerva Works HUB
The Circular Economy Blueprints research moved from theory to practice with the establishment of Minerva Works, a temporary circular economy hub on Minerva Road. Following an exhibition at the London Design Festival, the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) collaborated with workspace operator Republic to transform the site into a physical home for circular economy initiatives. ReCollective, Rescued Clay, and other organizations moved in and began processing and redistributing materials from the space.
By 2026, Minerva Works will be developed into an energy center that will reclaim waste heat from nearby data centers to provide low-carbon energy for 10,000 new homes in Old Oak. Until then, the space serves as a proving ground for the circular economy model.
KEY LESSONS
Through our collaborative work, the five organizations have identified three essential elements for a successful circular economy: space, resources, and partnerships.
The need for adequate processing and storage space became apparent immediately, as many circular operations only become efficient at scale. London's high rental costs are a significant barrier, making the Minerva Road site particularly valuable.
The research also revealed common barriers across different material streams. For film set materials, the industry's emphasis on speed over sustainability made traditional waste removal seem more convenient; clay processing required significant space and specialized equipment; joinery waste needed additional sorting and processing machinery; concrete formwork materials often had contamination that limited reuse potential; and building demolition materials faced challenges with storage and regulatory approvals for structural reuse.
These challenges required creative solutions: engaging industry partners early in the process; specializing in specific materials rather than accepting all waste; communicating services professionally; planning each stage of the material journey; seeking consistent material sources; developing base income activities like workshops; charging appropriately for services; tracking impact metrics; maintaining safety standards; and remaining adaptable as the landscape evolves.
TOWARDS a Circular Future
The Circular Economy Blueprints project demonstrates that community-led initiatives can drive meaningful change in our approach to waste. For industry players, the call is clear: engage with circular economy organizations early, plan for reuse before contracts are signed, and recognize the environmental and social value of reclaimed materials.
Policymakers must also develop incentives that make reuse economically viable: from increasing landfill taxes, to requiring reuse plans for new developments. As Park Royal continues its regeneration with 25,000 new homes and 50,000 jobs planned around the HS2 interchange, these blueprints offer a pathway to ensure that development creates not just economic growth but environmental and social benefits. The solutions are here - what's needed now is the collective will to scale them from blueprints into standard practice.
The handbook is available to read here.
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