Economic comparison of concrete recycling: A case study approach

Recycling of construction material helps saving the limited landfill space. Among various types of materials, concrete waste accounts for about 50% of the total waste generation. The current practice for dumping construction materials to landfills generates a significant quantity of waste from construction sites. Recycling concrete waste as recycled aggregate is one of the methods to reduce the concrete waste. Therefore, this paper investigates the economical considerations in recycling concrete waste. A comparative study on costs and benefits between the current practice and the concrete recycling method is examined. The study shows that it has a negative net benefit for the current practice while a positive net benefit for the concrete recycling method. Therefore, recycling concrete as aggregate for new concrete production can provide a cost-effective method for the construction industry and help saving the environment.