Sustainability is an important factor in  any industry, and the construction industry is no exception. Reusing and recycling old materials keeps it out of landfills and saves new materials from being used for a project. Recycled crushed concrete, also known as recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), can be put to good use in a number of ways.

Using Recycled Crushed Concrete

Recycled crushed concrete is made from crushing old concrete that is taken from concrete blocks, roads, sidewalks, walkways, and other structures and crushed into smaller pieces. The old concrete can be crushed into a variety of sizes for different uses. It is cleaned, debris is removed, and then it is crushed to a uniform size depending on how it will be used.

There are many ways to use recycled crushed concrete; usually it is used in a similar fashion to gravel or other aggregates. Uses for recycled crushed concrete include:

  • As an aggregate. Recycled crushed concrete can be utilized as an aggregate in many different projects. It can be used as an aggregate to mix with other compounds for asphalt roads, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and other concrete projects.
  • As a base. Recycled crushed concrete can also be used as a base or sub-base for a variety of projects, such as a road or driveway. The crushed concrete is generally covered over with new material so the look is the same as a road or driveway made from completely new materials.
  • In place of gravel. Since recycled crushed concrete has a higher permeability than natural aggregates, it is a good choice for places where drainage is an issue. It can be used in walkways and pathways; as a base for raised garden beds; for retaining walls to control erosion; as road embankments, median strips, and shoulders; and as filling for structures like retaining walls.
  • As clean fill. Crushed concrete can be used as an earthen material to fill holes or depressions as part of an earthworks project.

The benefits to using recycled crushed concrete are numerous. For one, it is a sustainable way to reuse or recycle old materials and keep them out of landfills; it’s a recommended component of the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) program. Secondly, reusing old materials like recycled crushed concrete saves money because new materials do not have to be purchased. Furthermore, it also saves the environmental impact of producing and delivering new materials to a jobsite, and there is even machinery that can be rented to crush old, demolished concrete on-site.

Tucker Paving offers concrete paving as well as many other concrete construction services, like maintenance and repair, and we have over 25 years of experience in the concrete and asphalt paving construction industry. Call us at (863) 299-2262, or contact us online, for your next concrete project!