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Recycling shingle for coastal defence
Shingle recycling provides a means of nourishing beaches using local sources
of beach material. The recycling usually occurs on eroding beaches, between
two points:
- Material is collected from areas where longshore drift has facilitated its
deposition;
- Shingle is transported back to a point where it can be moved again by longshore
drift, replenishing the eroding beach.
The situation at Dungeness
represents a classic case of the approach. Examples of this process are considered
in more detail in the "Guide to the management
and restoration of coastal vegetated shingle".
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Guidance: Recycling shingle is generally a more sustainable option
when balancing coastal defence needs with environmental consideration
than beach nourishment. Material is almost always derived from the local
source and 'recycled' to replenish the system, hence the introduction
of unsuitable or contaminated shingle is less likely to occur. However,
both approaches tend to prevent the development of (or sometimes destroy)
shingle vegetation.
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