As the aggregate industry continues to play an important role in our everyday lives, the demand for its processes to become more environmentally sustainable rises alongside it.
The aggregate industry is placing increased focus on more sustainable mining methods, such as sourcing aggregate from construction and demolition waste streams and making it viable for use in new construction projects. This is known as construction and demolition (C&D) recycling. C&D recycling processes are a foundational strategy that aligns with this overall sustainability goal.
What is C&D recycling?
C&D recycling is the process of recovering valuable materials from debris left over from construction and demolition projects. This debris can include everything from metal and concrete to wood and brick. Oftentimes, debris from these projects can be regarded as “waste” and sent to a landfill even though there may still be valuable material that can be removed and reused.
In the aggregate industry, C&D recycling can be defined as the process of recovering valuable aggregates from waste and providing it with purpose on the market.
Why is C&D recycling needed?
One thing that has remained constant over the course of the last century is the demand for infrastructure to support a growing population. As the population increases, so does the need for more housing, schools, hospitals and other infrastructure, as well as the need for better roads, bridges, highways, and other facilities to accommodate rising travel.
With that said, the aggregate industry has been challenged with finding ways to pursue construction-oriented projects in a way that promotes sustainability and minimizes the impact these operations have on the environment.
C&D recycling is one way to solve common environmental challenges the construction industry faces. For one, C&D recycling can minimize the amount of waste that’s distributed to landfills. Reusing materials helps conserve landfill space and reduce environmental impact.
Regarding more sustainable construction practices, C&D recycling processes lessen the carbon footprint that’s associated with creating new materials. It also conserves natural resources. Not only is C&D recycling environmentally beneficial, but companies that utilize these practices gain positive publicity for their corporate social responsibility initiatives. There is high demand from consumers who want to demonstrate reductions in their total supply-chain emissions and demand from investors who want evidence of their progress toward achieving NetZero targets.
Finally, C&D recycling can be a profitable endeavor for companies, not only from recycled aggregate sales but from tipping fees charged for dumping debris at their sites.
Four Major Benefits of C&D Recycling
C&D recycling has many advantages and helps to support a circular economy and reduce environmental impact. Here are four main advantages of C&D recycling in the aggregate industry.
Reduces strain on finite resources
Finite resources are non-renewable resources that are formed at a rate much slower than their rate of consumption. Some examples of commonly used finite resources are fossil fuels, sand, phosphate and others.
Finite resources originate from specific geological conditions relating to the crusts and take a long time to naturally form. Therefore, although the demand for finite resources is high, supply is limited.
This dynamic causes high costs for these resources. Despite economic factors, there is a high environmental cost associated with using these resources as well. An additional challenge to finite resources beyond their limited quantity is that once they are used, they cannot be replenished.
Methods of C&D recycling aid in the preservation of these materials by providing an alleyway to use aggregate that had previously been used in construction projects in future non-load bearing construction projects. C&D recycling allows producers to meet the demands for aggregate materials while lessening the burden on natural resources.
Reduces carbon footprint
The term carbon footprint refers to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are released into the air that are generated from human actions. It can arise from electricity usage, manufacturing processes, driving vehicles and other actions. By minimizing carbon footprint, it can help reduce negate climate change consequences.
C&D recycling can have a significant impact on reducing carbon footprint. Reusing materials from debris gathered from construction sites decreases the carbon emissions released from trucking the waste to landfills.
Along the same lines, landfill storage is becoming a valuable commodity with the mass amounts of waste being produced. With landfills rapidly filling, the nearest landfill may not be a feasible option. Therefore, trucks may be required to travel long distances just to dispose of the waste.
C&D recycling provides more control on this issue, as portions of the waste can be reused instead of trucked to the landfill. In other words, C&D recycling methods reduce the quantities of emissions produced from trucks while allowing for more landfill space to be used for other needs.
Minimizes waste
Waste from construction and demolition projects tends to be overlooked and viewed as a minor issue in a large challenge. Landfills are rapidly filling, with some unable to accept any more waste. As landfill options decrease, the cost to dump debris increases, which is a consequence of waste management practices.
Inert waste from construction and demolition projects taken to dump sites may contain valuable material. C&D recycling methods aim to recover this valuable material from the waste, minimizing its buildup at overpopulated dump sites. Reducing the amount of landfill waste has positive impacts on the surrounding environment and communities.
Supports a circular economy
A circular economy is a continuous cycle of resource production and consumption that attempts to circulate valuable material in the buyer’s cycle until it is terminated. Benefits of a circular economy include less dependence on raw materials, increase of financial savings, environmentally friendly practices, and more.
C&D recycling allows the economy to operate in a more circular fashion by recovering usable material from waste that was once intended for a landfill. Valuable aggregate can be strategically pulled from C&D debris and reintroduced back into the supply chain for reuse in new projects. This creates a loop of recycling and reuse that contributes to more sustainable mining.
There are many benefits to C&D recycling. Reducing strain on finite resources, lowering the aggregate industry’s carbon footprint, minimizing unnecessary waste and supporting a circular economy are the four major benefits that C&D recycling can provide to aggregate producers looking to process their materials more responsibly and sustainably.
