Disposing of concrete is difficult and even dangerous because it is heavy and unwieldy. Even transporting concrete debris can be a challenge. It is time-consuming and takes away from the work needed to be done at a job site. In addition, there is the cost factor of fuel, wear and tear on company vehicles, and disposal fees.
And it is not always a simple matter of hauling it off to the local landfill. While concrete itself is not normally classified as a hazardous material, the rules defining those types of materials can be confusing.
According to one article, the EPA “defines hazardous wastes in several ways, one of them being whether or not it is what is called a 'characteristic' hazardous waste. Does the waste meet certain stated characteristics?” Based on standards established by the EPA, if a material has a pH greater than 12.5, it is considered a corrosive material and, by definition, a hazardous waste.
Disposing of Concrete: Dumping or Recycling?
While the proper handling and disposal of concrete rubble needs to be taken into consideration, pursuing other options to using your local landfill can be beneficial. According to statistics put out by Integrated Waste Management Board, Construction and Demolition (C&D) materials made up about 29 percent of California's disposed waste stream, or approximately 11.6 million tons. Of that waste, asphalt and concrete represent over 977,000 tons of disposal, or around 2.4 percent of the disposed waste in California.
Most concrete debris that is not simply disposed of in landfills is repurposed in a number of ways. In fact, concrete recycling is an increasingly common method of utilizing the rubble. At one time, concrete was commonly trucked to landfills for disposal, but the benefits of recycling has made it a more attractive option in light of more stringent environmental laws, and for keeping construction costs down.
Three Reasons for Recycling Concrete Debris as a Best Practice
While it’s a good practice to keep any material out of the landfill, if possible, the durability and potential for reuse makes concrete debris a great candidate for recycling. However, getting it off-site and hauled away is still a potentially costly and time-consuming proposition if you choose to do it yourself.
- Reduced costs of removing and hauling
- Elimination of high landfill fees
- Contributes to the production of lower-cost recycled aggregate products
And aside from the economics of choosing a firm to take your concrete debris to a recycling plant, there are a variety of benefits in recycling concrete rather than dumping it or burying it in a landfill, such as:
- Keeping concrete debris out of landfills saves landfill space
- Using recycled material as gravel reduces the need for gravel mining
- Using recycled concrete as the base material for roadways reduces the pollution involved in trucking material
Recycling Concrete Disposal Material As A Best Practice
One of the advantages of making use of a professional disposal firm is knowing that your waste material will find new life as recycled aggregate while reducing the impact on existing landfills.
Recycled aggregate can be used:
- In paved roads as aggregate base, aggregate sub-base, and shoulders
- In gravel roads as surfacing
- As base for building foundations
- As fill for utility trenches
Portland cement concrete and asphalt concrete consist primarily of aggregate and the cement and asphalt serve as binders. In addition, concrete debris will often contain steel reinforcement bars, or "rebar" which adds to the mix. The concrete debris usually shows up at the processor in chunks so heavy crushing equipment is used to break up the chunks into aggregate.
A crushing plant receives the material and then breaks it into more manageable pieces. These go into some type of impact crusher to reduce its size even further and then through a vibrating screen to sort the crushed material to specific sizes. Finally, a conveyor belt moves the aggregate past a rotating magnet to remove metal contamination including rebar.
The end result is referred to as recycled aggregate. After processing, the rocks retain bits of cement or asphalt and are used primarily as aggregate base and sub-base in road projects.
Disposing of Concrete Can Be Easy
Junk King provides an efficient, safe and eco-friendly construction waste disposal service so you don’t need to worry about the pick up or disposal of the debris after your project is complete. Whether you need our services several times during a construction project or just once after it is complete, our hauling professionals will ensure that the construction debris is out of your way so that you can get on with the job.
How can you get us on the site for construction debris disposal? You make an appointment simply by booking online above or by calling us at (707) 744-4254. Our professional and insured hauling team will call 15 minutes before we arrive on your site and we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your debris takes up in our truck. We haul the construction waste into our junk removal trucks and with no hidden fees.
Our team specializes in construction debris removal. We can be at your facility in mere minutes, so call us today! Our crew is fully insured and well-trained, so you can trust them to get rid of your unwanted items in a professional and courteous fashion. One of the best things about hiring Junk King is that we recycle a much of the material we pick-up. This is proof of our commitment to being an eco-friendly removal service. If you have questions about what we do or what we believe, give us a call at (707) 744-4254.