When any concrete structure is demolished there is always the huge problem of what to do with the concrete, asphalt and wood that piles up. The best way to process this waste is to call @GreenSolutionsandMore, to order a dumpster and we will deliver it right to the property and collect it when you’re done. We offer various size dumpsters depending on the weight and size of the waste to be carted away. Our 10 yard, 20 yard and 40 yard dumpsters are perfect for demolition sites or home renovations.
Any contractor will know that carting concrete or wood to landfills is a huge headache and an expensive drop off. Choosing to recycle your concrete waste is the best choice for the environment and your pocket. Whether you are renovating a bathroom, kitchen, or asphalt paving or parking lot, the tear down material can be recycled.
We, at Green Solutions and More, recycle our wood drop offs into wood chips. We offer colored and natural wood chips in bulk for wholesale only. These wood chips are used to mulch garden projects as well as preserve water around trees and in garden beds. They are very attractive and also offer a safe place for small insects during the winter months.
Our concrete aggregate is crushed and can be used in various building materials for paths, walls, ponds and pavings. This is a far better use of concrete as it doesn’t degrade on it’s own.
Our asphalt aggregate is also recycled into a product that can be reused in new asphalt paving as sub-base.
Recycling crushed concrete to be reused helps reduce landfill crowding and saves more resources from being used to create new concrete. Old concrete can be crushed down to specific sizes, cleaned so that unwanted debris is removed from the mixture, and reused as a solution to a number of construction and landscaping problems. Many cities now use recycled concrete and asphalt in their new road and parking constructions. As early as the 1940’s recycled materials were used to widen Route 66 to four lanes.
Many different types of concrete can be recycled eg: concrete foundations, curbs, building slabs, sidewalks and concrete structures. When the concrete is crushed, sieved and sorted it can be used for different purposes. Larger pieces can be used along shorelines for safety walls to control erosion to form a breakwater. A very popular use of recycled concrete are large retaining walls along highways and offramps. Recycled concrete is a great retainer for paths, edging and roads as it offers good drainage for rain and snow. It has even been used in building French drains.
If builders are seeking LEED Green Building certification, they can receive points for using recycled concrete.
Please call us and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have:
GreenSolutionsandMore
(916) 409-9700
Recycling concrete helps reduce construction waste and extend the life of landfills as well as saving builders disposal or tipping fees. It also reduces transportation costs because concrete can often be recycled in areas near the demolition or construction site. If builders are seeking LEED Green Building certification, they can receive points for using recycled concrete. In some instances, new employment opportunities arise in a recycling activity that would not otherwise exist.
How Concrete Is Recycled
Concrete is recycled by using industrial crushing equipment with jaws and large impactors. After the concrete is broken up, it is usually run through a secondary impactor and is then screened to remove dirt and particles and to separate the large and small aggregate. Additional processes and equipment, such as water flotation, separators, and magnets, may also be used to remove specific elements from the crushed concrete. An alternative method is to pulverize the concrete, but this is not the always the best option, as it makes it harder to complete the separation process and may leave more contamination from smaller byproducts.
Equipment Used to Recycle Concrete
When considering concrete recycling as an option, you will also need to evaluate the options available for crush the concrete. The most practical solution can be a portable crusher that can be moved to different locations or projects. Often, it works best to set it up a portable crusher at a centralized location, near where the concrete is being demolished but where it will not hinder site traffic. Factors to consider when choosing processing equipment include:
The Importance of Concrete Recycling
Concrete is the largest component of the C&D Waste Stream
Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is a central component of the solid waste stream, amounting to roughly 25 percent of total solid waste nationally. The largest part of C&D material is concrete, which encompasses around 70 percent of C&D generated material before recycling, according to the U.S. EPA. Construction (21.7 million tons) and demolition (353.6 million tons) activities accounted for over 375 million tons of material in total. Road and bridge demolition generated 157.4 million tons of this amount.
Over 140 million tons of concrete are recycled annually, according to the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association.
With pressure on landfills continuing to mount, the diversion of C&D materials in general, and concrete, in particular, remains an import area of interest to policymakers. For industry, there are also significant incentives. One source lists C&D tipping costs at $100 per ton, and related freight charges moving material to the landfill at $0.25 per mile/ton. Sources of clean aggregate include building foundations, curb and gutter, roads, highways, airport runways and more.
Benefits of Recycling Concrete
There is a range of environmental and economic benefits in recycling concrete rather than dumping it or burying it in a landfill. These advantages include:
- Reduced tippage and related freight charges
- Cheaper source of aggregate than newly mined
- Reduction of landfill space required for concrete debris
- Using recycled material as gravel reduces the need for gravel mining
- Increasingly, high-grade aggregate for road construction is available only at greater distances, increasing the associated economic and environmental cost impacts associated with the longer haulage distances versus using recycled aggregate
Markets for Recycled Concrete
Aggregate base course (road base) The largest application of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is for the aggregate base course in road construction. This term refers to the center layer of the roadbed. A cross-section of pavement would show dirt, or subgrade, as the lowest of three levels, layered on top by aggregate base course, and finally capped on top by pavement, either concrete or asphalt. This application is widely accepted for recycled concrete by Departments of Transportation.
Soil Stabilization Where soil stability is at issue, the load-bearing capacity of that sub-grade can be improved through the incorporation of recycled aggregate, lime or fly ash. The process changes the water susceptibility of subgrade, thereby increasing stability.
Pipe bedding Recycled concrete can serve as a stable bed or firm foundation in which to lay underground utilities.
Landscape Materials Recycled concrete has been used in various landscape settings, including paving stones, boulder/stacked rock walls, underpass abutment structures, erosion structures, water features, retaining walls, and other uses.
The Concrete Recycling Process
Aside from base course, RCA is high-quality aggregate, the product of numerous processing steps including crushing, pre-sizing, sorting, screening and contaminant elimination. The key is to start with clean material that can be sized by product requirements.
Processing begins with primary jaws, cones and large impactors designed to reduce concrete debris in size. This step may or may not be followed by the use of secondary cone or impactors for further processing. Dirt and foreign particulate may be removed by a scalping screen while the fine material may be removed with a fine hard deck screen.
Water floatation, hand picking, air separators, and electromagnetic separators are used to ensure the recycled concrete is free of metal, clay, wood, dirt, plastic and organic materials.
With high-quality aggregate supplies becoming less accessible in many regions, in conjunction with increased pressure to divert materials such as concrete from crowded landfills, it seems likely that concrete recycling will continue to grow in importance over the years ahead.