Uses of Recycled Crushed Concrete
As an expert demolition company, we’re well aware of how much waste is generated by the demolition and construction industry. That’s why we do everything we can to provide services that are more economic and environmentally friendly.
One such practice we regularly employ is concrete crushing. The crushed concrete we produce as a result of our services can be recycled for future use, preventing the need to manufacture new materials and avoiding waste from going to landfill sites.
This month at Hill Demolition, we’re going to take a deeper dive into what crushed concrete is, where it comes from, where it can be used and what the benefits are.
What is crushed concrete?
Just as it sounds, crushed concrete is made up of blocks of concrete that have been crushed into an aggregate. The concrete can often contain any variety of aggregates in the mixing process – such as sand, gravel and other ballast material – but is always mixed with cement and water.
Any large pieces of concrete will be crushed using specialist equipment to break them down, before going through a secondary process to crush them down to a smaller, more uniform size. Crushed concrete may need to be screened after this to ensure any non-concrete and hardcore elements, such as plastics and metals, are removed.
An aggregate can only be classified as recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) if the bulk of the material is created from concrete. This designation allows for the material to be put back into use in a variety of ways, which we’ll explore later in this piece.
Where does crushed concrete come from?
Crushed concrete can come from a variety of sources throughout the process of demolishing buildings and structures. Concrete has been around in one form or another since Roman times, but in the 1930s there was a huge rise in the number of structures we created using concrete.
From buildings and bridges to pavement and foundations, concrete is used in so many places – even in older structures – that it can be collected and crushed into much smaller parts to form an aggregate.
Where is crushed concrete used?
Putting crushed concrete back into use is fantastic for the construction industry, with numerous uses for the aggregate, including:
- Roads
- Pavements
- Driveways
- Drainage in gardens
- Compaction or stabilising
- Decorative use in landscaping
The benefits of recycling concrete
We’ve already touched on some of the many benefits of crushed concrete, but the environment is on everyone’s minds, so it’s important to spell out why recycling concrete is so important.
- It prevents new materials from needing to be quarried.
By using what we’ve already got, we can reduce our impact on the planet, preserving the natural resources we have for longer.
- It reduces pressure on landfill sites.
As you can imagine, landfill sites are already feeling the pressure, and adding tonnes of concrete wouldn’t be very helpful. Reusing concrete means it never has to go to waste.
- It’s cheaper than producing new concrete.
Since there isn’t the need to quarry, mix and transport new concrete, using recycled aggregates could save people money.
- It’s a versatile product.
We’ve already listed just a few ways that commercial construction companies as well as homeowners can use recycled aggregate concrete, proving it’s worth making an effort to collect and crush concrete from demolition projects.
Here at Hill Demolition, as a leading demolition company for the UK, including in our local areas of Harlow, London, Essex and Hertfordshire, we provide dedicated concrete crushing services on site to help make waste more manageable and ready to recycle. If you’d like to learn more about this process or any of our environmentally-friendly practices within the industry, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Call today for everything from concrete crushing to full demolition and dismantling services.
