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The Benefits of Recycling
Download RMCI's Application Guide
The recycling processes developed and adopted by Recycled Materials Company, Inc. (RMCI) produce unique products- such as recycled asphalt- that are not available at any quarry. Contractors and government entities choosing to utilize recycled aggregate materials produced by RMCI incur reduced haul costs due to geographical access in the Denver metro area and Eastern Colorado.
Recycled aggregate:
- Is high quality - meeting or exceeding all applicable state and federal specifications.
- Is currently being used in concrete and asphalt products with better performance over comparable virgin aggregates.
- Provides for superior compaction and constructability.
- Is higher yield - recycled aggregates are lighter weight per unit of volume, which means less weight per cubic yard, resulting in reduced material costs, haul costs, and overall project costs.
- Weighs ten to fifteen percent (10%-15%) less than comparable virgin quarry products (concrete).
- Offers a way to reduce landfill waste streams.
- Means minimization of environmental impacts in an "Urban" quarry setting.
Environmental Benefits
RMCI has found a way to utilize what would otherwise become a waste product filling landfills and disposal spaces. The former Stapleton International Airport, located in the heart of Denver, was the site of the "World's Largest Recycle Project". During this brown-field redevelopment, more than 975 acres of concrete and asphalt pavement was recycled into high quality construction aggregates.
Since this operation stayed on-site at the former airport (the product is recycled and stockpiled on-site), there were minimal hauling costs added to the price of the superior recycled product. Better yet, on-site recycling saves wear on trucks and reduces time workers have to be stuck in traffic. Finally, as Mark Wachal explains, RMCI's project at Stapleton "produces recycled aggregate that saves or extends the life of other aggregates and raw material sources."
For much more about the benefits of concrete recycling, visit www.concreterecycling.org, a new site being developed by the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) in cooperation with RMCI staff.
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