Have you ever seen old, broken-down, and unwanted concrete near a building? Perhaps if you are a homeowner, you’ve seen weathered concrete used somewhere throughout your home. What do you do about that concrete? Do you work around it? Well, that costs money. Do you remove it and try to replace it? Well, that can also be significantly more expensive. So, what options are left? Fortunately, there is one option that is not commonly thought of: recycled concrete. In this article, we will discuss what recycled concrete is, list its benefits, and how to begin the process of recycling concrete.
What is it?
The process of creating recycled concrete involves breaking, removing, and crushing concrete from its existing location and then using it to create new, reusable material. Recycled concrete offers most of the same durability as typical concrete, but in some cases, it is reinforced with fly ash. Oftentimes, using older concrete to create recycled concrete is the best option for renewal.
Benefits
Recycling concrete offers a major benefit to project savings and the environment. Landfill costs for construction-related debris continuously rise, but don’t forget the cost of transporting that debris from one area to another! Therefore, that money spent on disposal and transportation can be saved with recycled concrete.
In addition to the mentioned rising costs of landfills, they are also becoming more heavily regulated. Hence, contractors are finding it increasingly difficult to dispose of certain construction materials, including concrete. By using recycled concrete, you won’t need to waste time or money worrying about different regulations and where to dispose of old concrete.
Recycling concrete present another benefit on savings for construction projects. Instead of spending time, money, energy, and transportation costs on acquiring new concrete, you can use recycled concrete. Think about the turn around time to receive fresh concrete. It also takes time to transport that new material to the construction site, along with labor to set it up for use. Now, I think it’s clear how convenient and viable recycled concrete is.
Lastly, recycled concrete comes with a slightly higher volume per ton amount. This is beneficial because you receive more amount of product per dollar amount of purchase, but also in another sense: project planning. When you are actively planning a construction project, it’s helpful to receive more product. This is because planning is not always exact and it never hurts to have more, especially for unexpected developments.
How do I recycle concrete?
Determining how to recycle concrete will depend on the exact type and size of your concrete. Normally, you want to consult a structural engineer to see if your project can use recycled concrete. Every project is different, so having a structural engineer analyze and make that professional opinion is essential to success. The actual process will then be performed by a building materials company. They will either transport the concrete to a plant or perform the process on-site.
Are you interested in the benefits of recycled concrete? Our structural engineers are trained and certified in analyzing concrete for project needs!
Contact us at (929) 381-0030 or visit our website.
