How Do You Recycle Fresh Concrete?

Concrete is one of the most-used construction materials in the world. It’s cheap, strong and super versatile, so it’s perfect for almost every building.

The bad news is that making concrete has an environmental impact. Concrete production accounts for 9% of the world’s total carbon emissions.

The good news is that clean concrete is 100% recyclable! That means unused concrete doesn’t go to waste. It can be reused in the next project, which reduces carbon emissions and prevents usable concrete from going into landfills.

In this article, we’ll learn how fresh concrete is recycled, what the process involves and how it can benefit your business.

How Do You Recycle Fresh Concrete?

Fresh concrete can be recycled in two ways. Once it’s cured, it can be crushed and used as a base for roads and other constructions. Uncured concrete can be separated into its aggregate and cement components, which can both be used in new concrete production.

Concrete can only be recycled by specialists. To make sure your concrete is recycled, it needs to be disposed of properly. Super Skips offers skip bins specifically designed for clean concrete. These skips go to our recycling partners where the concrete is crushed and reused as an aggregate in construction projects.

What is Clean Concrete?

Concrete can only be recycled if it’s “fresh” or “clean”:

• Clean concrete is cured concrete that contains no contaminants. To be recyclable, clean concrete must not contain soil, debris, chemicals or any other contaminants that could compromise its strength and longevity.
• Fresh concrete is uncured and contains no contaminants. Fresh concrete can be separated into aggregate and cement components. The aggregate and cement slurry can both be reused in new cement production.

How Clean Concrete is Recycled

The way concrete is recycled depends on whether it’s cured or uncured. Uncured (fresh) concrete is washed down to its base components, and the aggregate and cement slurry are reused.

Clean concrete is cured and needs to be processed before it can be used again:

1. Collection and Transportation

The clean concrete is collected and transported to a concrete recycling facility. In most cases, construction sites rent clean concrete skip bins, and the skip hire company handles transportation.

Recycling facilities may also accept drop-offs directly from construction companies and other customers.

2. Separation and Crushing

The concrete is processed and crushed into manageable pieces and any contaminants (such as rebar) are separated. The concrete is then loaded into crushing machines that pulverise the material into smaller pieces.

3. Reclaiming Aggregates

Clean concrete may be crushed into aggregate-sized pieces. If the concrete is still fresh, the original aggregate can be separated from the cement for reuse.

4. Reusing Cement

In some cases, the cement slurry produced by the recycling process is also reused in new concrete production. 

How Recycled Concrete is Used

Recycled concrete is used in lots of ways.

Clean concrete is typically crushed down to a variety of sizes. Large chunks of concrete can be used as building blocks and anti-erosion blocks (like you often see placed on river embankments):

Smaller concrete particles can be used as a road base (which goes under the pavement), aggregate for new concrete, or as a bedding material for pipes.

Fresh concrete can be recycled into its base components. The aggregate and cement slurry can both be used in new concrete production.

The Benefits of Recycling Concrete

Recycling concrete is a free (or low-cost) alternative to disposing of concrete waste. It offers a few major benefits for 

• Reduced waste in landfill – Concrete is 100% recyclable. That means nothing ends up in harmful landfills. If you’re looking for a way to reduce your impact, recycling is the best thing you can do.
• Lower costs for construction projects – There’s usually no cost to recycle clean concrete. If you’re hiring skip bins, you’ll usually get a discount, which can save you thousands of dollars across the length of a project.
• Meet your recycling targets – Many industries have introduced recycling quotas and energy targets. Even if nothing is mandated for your project, recycling clean concrete is a great way to reduce your impact. That’s great if you’re trying to achieve a certain NABERS rating or meeting internal policy requirements.

Recycle Your Clean Concrete With Super Skips!

Clean concrete is 100% recyclable. That’s good for the environment, and it’s good for your bottom line when you hire skip bins from Super Skips!

Super Skips offers skip bin hire across Brisbane, Logan and Ipswich. We take recycling seriously, which is why we provide clean concrete and construction waste skip bins.

When you hire a clean concrete skip, we take your waste or our recycling partners where it can be crushed and reused. We also offer skips for clean timber, green waste and other recyclable materials. That means your waste won’t end up in landfill, and we’ll even provide a discount on your hire costs!

Talk to us today for a free quote.