RECYCLED MATERIALS IN YOUR PRECAST WORKS

Recycled Aggregates in UK Construction

The UK uses approximately 275 million tonnes of aggregates each year for construction, of which around 70 million tonnes are from recycled sources. With a diminishing natural reserve of sand and aggregates, the recycling of construction, demolition, and excavation waste is seen as a solution to the shortage in the supply of virgin construction materials. In fact, 25% of all aggregate demand in the UK is now met with recycled aggregates. However, there is still potential to expand the use of these environmentally friendly options by recycling more construction, demolition, and excavation wastes that are currently sent to landfill

Sustainability in Precast Concrete

Precast concrete offers several sustainability benefits, including the reduction of materials used and the toxicity of waste materials By optimizing the design of precast concrete, industrial wastes like slag cement and silica fume can be incorporated into the mix, reducing the amount of cement and CO2 emissions The manufacturing process of precast concrete generates low amounts of waste with low toxicity Additionally, precast concrete panels can be reused when buildings are expanded, and concrete pieces from demolished structures can be used in other applications

Recycling in Precast Concrete Production

The British Standards that govern the manufacture of precast products set performance criteria for products irrespective of individual components This means that many precast products, such as block pavers and aggregate concrete blocks, can incorporate a high recycled content within both the aggregate and the cement binder without affecting the end product performance About 25% of aggregates used in the precast sector are recycled or from secondary sources, and the sector aims to increase the use of additional cementitious materials Moreover, precast products can often be reused in their entirety

Environmental Benefits of Precast Concrete Production

The production of precast concrete offers numerous environmental benefits, including the use of less material due to precise mixture proportions and tighter tolerances Waste materials are also more likely to be recycled, and hardened concrete can be recycled Sand used for finishing surfaces can be reused, and moulds can also be reused Precast recycling systems capture almost all processed water, slurry, aggregates, or cement, which can then be reused in the production process.