Going Green With Recycled Cement

Today more than ever before there is a push to take a more environmentally friendly approach to construction. Using recycled material and renewable resources not only makes sense for the planet, but it also is fiscally responsible. Instead of spending time and money transporting discarded waste in landfills, many responsible businesses have turned to reuse castoff materials in a variety of ways. That’s where recycled cement comes in.

How It’s Done

Reusing cement from recycled material is not a difficult process, though it does require specialized machinery. Crushers grind the matter into small chunks, or aggregate, that can be reused in a variety of ways. Getting waste to a recycling center is as easy as shipping it to the dump. In some situations, recycling businesses will be able to bring the equipment to the job site, eliminating that cost entirely!

Because a lot of concrete is reinforced with rebar or other metals, crushers are capable of filtering out the extra material with magnets, which can then be recycled in other ways. However, trash and other debris like wood, plastic and paper can contaminate the aggregate and needs to be separated before crushing.

Stepping Stones

Concrete and cement have been, and still continue to be, used in a host of construction projects. You would be hard-pressed to find a new building project that didn’t! Using recycled cement saves on costs in a number of ways:

• Reduces shipping fees to disposal sites
• Eliminates high cost to dispose of concrete and cement
• Lowers the need for additional aggregate
• Provides inexpensive recycled material for a variety of projects
• On-site recycling means fewer shipping expenses for materials

By choosing recycled aggregate, concrete and cement, construction firms and homeowners stand to save money while illustrating environmentally friendly attitudes at the same time. When you’re working on new construction, choose recycled material first. Even if you can’t reuse what’s on-site, there is still the peace of mind that your new home, patio or driveway is made with the Earth in mind!