Asphalt & Concrete
Recycling:
Surmeier & Surmeier, Inc. operates two Aggregate Recycle Centers in the St. Louis Metro East area; one along I-64 in Caseyville, Illinois and one on Highway 161 just north of Mascoutah, Illinois. These recycle centers accept clean concrete and asphalt for recycle as well as sell aggregate to our local customers.
Since we are an approved aggregate supplier for the state of Illinois, several of our products are IDOT approved.
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Surmeier & Surmeier, Inc. will work with you by processing concrete and asphalt, screening it and crushing it at your site or ours. If you choose our mobile crushing services, your recycled material never has to leave your site, ensuring that you have taken one more step to helping our planet to be a better place to live for future generations.
Concrete and asphalt pavements are the nation’s most widely recycled products. Twice as much pavement is recycled than paper, glass, plastic and aluminum combined.
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We help you turn waste product into valuable material that you can re-use as part of new roads, roadbeds, shoulders and embankments.
Proper Disposal of Concrete: Dump vs Recycle
Cumbersome and heavy, concrete isn’t easy to dispose of. With recycling and dumping as your options, you may be wondering which is best for you. Dumping is more popular, but it takes up substantial space in landfills, thanks to its bulky nature. On top of that, if the pH level is too high, it’s considered corrosive, so some landfills may not take it. If the landfill agrees to take it, there are also dumping fees you’ll need to pay. By comparison, recycling is a much more environmentally friendly option, on top of potentially being more cost-effective. Recycling and dumping are both viable options for a construction business, though, so choose what makes the most sense for your company. Just be sure to follow the proper handling and disposing procedures based on where you intend for your concrete waste to end up.
Why Recycle Concrete
There are lots of reasons to recycle concrete. Recycling concrete is a far more environmentally friendly disposal option than dumping it in a landfill. Choosing to recycle your concrete waste saves landfill space, natural resources, and money. Opting to recycle your concrete waste creates another bonus benefit as well–your company may see a boost in its reputation because consumers value environmentally conscientious businesses. Concrete recycling will save money beyond the price of disposal fees at the landfill. Because concrete can be recycled and used as aggregate for future projects, recycling lowers the price of concrete aggregate while increasing the supply and availability.
How Concrete
Recycling Works
Concrete recycling starts by taking debris and crushing it into smaller pieces. This crushed concrete is known as recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). After the initial pass through the first crusher, RCA gets sent down a conveyor belt and sifted through to check for ferrous metals, dust, and dirt. Next, we filter RCA into piles with similarly sized chunks. RCA can be crushed into an even more acceptable material if necessary. Our concrete recycling centers work hard to ensure you get the cleanest product possible, free of dirt and hazardous waste.
So how do you recycle old concrete? Most of the process typically takes place in a concrete recycling plant. Before it gets there, though, it is generally broken up and removed from its original location. It’s often crushed into smaller pieces to make handling and transportation more manageable. It is also important that the concrete is clean, meaning that any paper, wood, or trash has been removed from the concrete. Then the concrete pieces arrive at the recycling center, where a crusher turns the concrete from slabs into small, bite-sized pieces. After being crushed the first time, any metals are removed. Some or all of the concrete may go through the crusher a second time to be broken down further. The resulting fragments are then sorted by size, allowing them to be used for various construction projects requiring specifically-sized aggregate.
Process of
Recycling Concrete
Is Recycled Concrete Cheaper than Gravel?
Yes. Recycling concrete requires fewer natural resources, which supports the goal of maintaining environmentally-friendly business practices. It is cheaper to buy recycled concrete than gravel.
Benefits of
Concrete Recycling
From new construction to demolition, disposing of concrete from construction sites is often one of the most challenging obstacles. Recycling concrete is often better than taking old debris straight to a landfill. Concrete recycling centers such as Surmeier & Surmeier can give new life to old construction materials.
Uses of
Recycled Concrete
New materials such as concrete aggregate come from breaking down used concrete, which can transform into pavers and other landscaping products. Recycled concrete is also helpful for road construction and riprap projects.