When looking at what construction materials to use for your next project, many overlook the durable, versatile material that is recycled aggregate. Offering great environmental and practical benefits, this substance makes use of old construction materials, upcycling it into an effective, affordable option for your building projects.

At ETM Recycling, we provide recycled aggregate and waste management services for businesses and individuals in Bristol and Bath. In this article, we’ll explore some of the main uses for recycled aggregate to give you inspiration and show how this material can be highly useful.

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What is Recycled Aggregate?

Recycled aggregate is generally made from hardcore – a collection of construction waste materials which include concrete, bricks, mortar, stones, and asphalt. These materials are processed to create a resulting aggregate that can then be re-used for further construction projects.

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Recycled Aggregate: Key Use Cases

With a wide range of applications, recycled aggregate is an incredibly useful form of recycling for end-of-life hardcore and construction waste. Depending on the source, recycled aggregate can be used for a number of situations, including:

New Construction

Road bases, subbases, and concrete mixes can all benefit from recycled aggregate. This provides a cost-effective option to filling in out-of-sight components for new builds and infrastructure, enabling a cheaper and more environmentally-friendly turnaround.

Landscaping

Recycled aggregate can be refined to different levels of granularity. This makes it a great choice for landscaping techniques like topsoil or bedding. We can even produce recycled sand, providing a cost-effective alternative for your outdoor projects.

Protecting Pipes

Due to the inherent strength of the crushed materials, recycled aggregate is a great way to protect underground pipework against potential damage. Not only does it withstand the day-to-day impact of vehicles or people walking overhead, but it can also provide a clear indicator to excavators operating in the area as to the presence of a pipe – warning them before any damage can be done.

Dust

At ETM Recycling, we can refine recycled aggregate down into dust. This creates a 10m down product which can be used for backfilling trenches, mixing with concrete, forming the base of paving, or for filling and levelling.

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How is Recycled Aggregate Produced?

In basic terms, recycled aggregate is made by crushing construction materials like bricks, concrete, and asphalt, producing a durable collection of assorted, recycled waste.

Due to the potentially hazardous nature of construction materials, there are a few more considerations that need to be made to ensure recycled aggregate is suitable for all outputs. This involves screening and separating any hazardous materials from the mix, ensuring the aggregate is safe for people to use and interact with.

From there, we can refine the aggregate to the level required. This could mean leaving it in larger chunks, crushing it down to pebble-sized rubble, or even reducing it to the level of sand or dust. Recycled aggregate is an incredibly versatile building material, with great environmental benefits to boot, that can be tailored to meet your exact needs.

At ETM Recycling, we produce large quantities of recycled aggregate on a regular basis, utilising a closed-loop recycling process to ensure minimum loss from all the waste we handle. This means a better environmental impact, and higher quality aggregate for Bristol, Bath, and beyond.

For more information, check out our guide to recycling construction materials >

The Environmental Benefits of Recycled Aggregate

Contributing to a circular waste economy, recycled construction waste offers a number of environmental and ecological benefits to businesses and the wider community. Here a few of the most important ways that recycled aggregate benefits your green initiatives:

  1. Diverting construction waste from landfill. Recycled aggregate takes what would otherwise be unusable construction waste, and provides a purpose for it, reducing the amount of waste unnecessarily filling up landfill sites.
  2. Reducing the need for virgin materials. With greater accessibility to cost-effective recycled aggregate, less new materials are required to complete construction projects, reducing the need and impact of harvesting and producing materials from scratch.
  3. Effective recycling process. At ETM Recycling, our sophisticated recycling process helps reduce the impact of recycling itself, ensuring maximum environmental benefits with minimal wasted material.
  4. Lower energy consumption. The process of recycling construction waste generally uses less energy than producing fresh materials, reducing your energy consumption and subsequentially your carbon footprint.
  5. Mitigating habitat destruction. Producing new construction materials may require quarrying, mining, or other forms of gathering – all of which could have negative impacts on local habitats. By recycling what we already have, you help to minimise the potential destruction of these habitats.

Quality Recycled Aggregate in Bristol from ETM Recycling

Recycled aggregate has a wide range of applications, from new construction through to landscaping, and is a great way to convert useless concrete waste into a valuable product. By working with ETM Recycling, you can ensure your waste is handled effectively, diverting as much as possible from landfill and towards the right waste streams.

Whether you’re trying to source quality recycled aggregates, or to properly dispose of your own construction and concrete waste, we’ve got you covered. Get in touch today to find out more.

Learn about the different types of recycled aggregate >

Explore our ultimate guide to recycled aggregate testing and quality >