A NEW commercial recycling facility has been opened near Ringwood.

The Fareham-based TJ Group, which runs a branded fleet of nearly 100 vehicles, opened the site at the Blashford sand and gravel quarry.

It focuses on recycling soils and hardcore such as concrete, bricks and asphalt, with new plant machinery for separation processing.

Its opening has meant taking on three more staff.

The TJ Group has 3,000 clients from Bournemouth to Brighton and as far north as Rugby in the East Midlands.

Managing director John Gosling, said: “Our newly-leased recycling facility at Blashford Quarry means we can spread our geographical wings further into Dorset in the west and Wiltshire in the north, opening up new commercial opportunities as we continue to expand.”

John added: “There is increasing demand for recycled aggregate from companies looking to reduce their carbon footprints, and that of their own clients, with Blashford Quarry ideally placed to service local demand.”

TJ has also signed up to a second newly-leased recycling facility, operated by 15 people, at Tipner, Portsmouth, just off the M275, where skip waste from across the city region will be handled.

The company, which has 140 staff, invested £165,000 earlier this year in new machinery which screens topsoil to British standards for commercial use.

The portable trommel screener, which prevents soil being buried in costly landfill as unusable spoil, is at TJ’s processing plant at Portfield, Chichester.

Customers include landscape gardeners, golf courses, schools, local authorities and property developers.

TJ also recently launched a new recycled material to be used in the construction of motorways, A-roads and footpaths.

The Department of Transport has given its approval for the trademarked product, Reclamix.