How Can Concrete Be Recycled?
Can concrete be recycled?
Have you ever spent countless hours up at night, staring at the ceiling, thinking about concrete recycling? Don’t worry, neither do we. But when you have a crumbling driveway, re-doing plumbing in your basement or maybe an old concrete patio that has come to the end of its life, you may have wondered how to get rid of concrete and if concrete can be recycled. The good news is yes, it can be recycled and can be reused in several ways!
Concrete Recycling
When you haul away all of your broken up concrete rubble, what happens to all of the heavy, dense material? Well, this often depends on where you dispose of the concrete at. Most responsible transfer stations and landfills will separate these materials for appropriate recycling because surprisingly enough, it has a value to it! When concrete is separated for recycling there are several things that may happen to it. Almost always, concrete rubble needs to be processed further before being able to be reused. The challenge is that when breaking up concrete, it usually sticks together in chunks. Most recyclers need these pieces to be broken down even further. The final state of the concrete rubble is always determined by the recycling outfit, however it will usually be pulverized and crushed into a fairly fine state.
Uses for recycled concrete
The end uses for recycled concrete will almost always end up in the construction industry. There are several different processes that can use recycled concrete rubble such as road building, prep for new concrete foundations or use in new concrete itself. Road building uses a mix of materials such as asphalt and gravel, however some vendors will utilize recycled concrete within their processes. Recycled concrete can also be used as a gravel which if often utilized as a prep or a base material for building structures on top of. If concrete is broken down fine enough, it can also be reused as an aggregate. Aggregates are a fine material that is mixed together with water and cement as essential ingredients to concrete.
Safely handling concrete
When the time comes to start (or finish) that project, be sure to handle and work with concrete safely. Always be sure to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection if using tools, etc) and work in ways to protect your body from strain or injury. Because concrete is such a dense and heavy material, it can easily cause injury if improperly handled. If you would prefer a “hands off” experience of loading and transporting your concrete to an appropriate facility, look no further.
