Please login or register to join our webinar.

E-mail address:
Password:
Forgot your password?
Log in
REGISTRATION
Home > Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association > Articles > Recycling
Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association

Recycling

Aug 7, 2020

THE RECYCLING ADVANTAGE
 
The Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association and its members believe that all recovered aggregate materials from demolition projects, road reconstruction, demolition of curbs and sidewalks, and other infrastructure projects where appropriate - should be re-engineered and re-used as recycled aggregate in new construction projects as a substitute for primary aggregates. 
 
Across the province, millions of tonnes of aggregate recovered from construction sites are stockpiled ready to be used in new road constructions projects. Although the provincial government - through the Ministry of Transportation - and some municipalities have been leaders in using recycled aggregates for several years, many municipalities’ specifications do not allow for recycled aggregates to be used in construction projects
 
Re-using concrete materials makes sense from both an environmental and economic perspective. The use of recycled aggregate preserves non-renewable resources, reduces our need for new quarries and pits, reduces energy use and greenhouse gasses associated with longer truck hauling, and can be supplied locally and less expensively than primary aggregate.
 
Aggregate recycling facilities provide contractors with a location to recover reclaimed concrete material, without disposing of it in landfills or using it as clean fill, saving money in disposal fees. Properly processed, or re-engineered, recycled aggregate that meets Ontario Provincial Standard Specifications (OPSS), is a suitable material for use in road construction, as engineered backfill and as a base material in many other applications.  Used appropriately, recycled aggregate performs as well or better than primary aggregate.
 
It is essential to maximize the use and value of Ontario’s aggregate resources by promoting the greater recovery and recycling of aggregates from construction projects.
 
INDUSTRY RECYCLING OBJECTIVES
 
  • To encourage public corporations to allow contractors to use recycled aggregate that meets OPSS specifications in their infrastructure projects
  • To permit aggregate recycling facilities to operate out of existing pits and quarries to maximize the use and value of aggregate resources
  • To require applications for new pits and quarries to include a recycling facility as part of the licensing process
  • To provide research and education to facilitate opportunities for using recycled aggregate in new and innovative ways to ensure that all reclaimed concrete material can be re-engineered and re-used as effectively as possible
 
PROJECTS THAT USED RECYCLED (CONCRETE) AGGREGATE:
 
 

Source: https://www.gravelfacts.ca/recycling