Concrete makes up a large part of our lives and, even more so, part of our waste. The early phases of many construction projects involve the demolition of concrete foundations, sidewalks, driveways, and other concrete structures, which can leave a contractor with a sizable volume of heavy, dense materials to deal with.
Whether you’re a contractor with excess concrete or a homeowner with too much left over from a DIY project, one thing is clear: you need to take out the trash during and after project completion. Before taking the garbage to the curb, remember that some materials require special treatment, which is where things become tricky.
Why Should You Dispose of Concrete Properly?
Concrete disposal can be challenging because you can’t just dump it anywhere. The appropriate authorities must handle bricks, blocks, and sections of concrete. This will ensure that concrete disposal meets municipal and provincial regulations.
Concerning renovations, remodeling, construction, and demolition projects, concrete and asphalt are among the top types of construction debris that tend to pile up. Unfortunately, they aren’t as easy to get rid of as they would seem. After all, you can’t just dump your concrete waste in the middle of nowhere.
Reusing concrete can be a good way to reduce construction costs while providing environmental benefits. Recycled concrete not only stays out of landfills but also replaces other materials such as gravel that must otherwise be mined and transported for use.
Recycling concrete helps reduce construction waste and extends the life of landfills, as well as saving builders’ disposal or tipping fees. It also reduces transportation costs because concrete can often be recycled in areas near the demolition or construction site.
By recycling concrete, you’ll be able to conserve natural resources. Not only that, but you’ll also reduce a lot of pollution coming from transportation. Lastly, you can be sure that leftover concrete will help minimize the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
How Can I Dispose of Concrete?
Several individuals or companies are willing to take it off your hands. Leftover concrete can be used in various ways, from driveway paving and gravel substitutes to landscaping mulch and material for new oceanic habitats.
If you’re wondering how you can dispose of concrete you have laying around, here are some options you can utilize.
1. Rent a Dumpster
One of the easiest and most affordable ways to dispose of concrete is to rent a dumpster. They will take your old concrete if you give them precise details about the amount of concrete you want to get rid of. Concrete and materials like bricks, stone, and asphalt can all be thrown in a dumpster. You have the option to rent dumpsters of various sizes that best fit your needs. For heavier disposals, you’ll want to make sure you rent a dumpster with the right weight capacity.
A dumpster can handle a large volume of material and is cost-effective for concrete disposal. The process is simple: the bin is delivered, the customer loads the concrete, and then it is removed on the agreed-upon date.
Make sure to arrange the concrete in a neat pile to help them pick up the debris, or else you may have to pay a lot more to dismantle the junk into smaller pieces.
2. Check With Your Local Government
Your city or region may have a program that recycles and reuses old concrete for building projects and roads. Contact your local government and ask if they will accept your old concrete to be recycled.
You can also look online to find out if they have a concrete recycling program. If they do, they might even be willing to pick it up. If they don’t, you may need to find a way to transport your concrete to a recycling center or landfill.
If your region does not have a recycling program, ask your local government how you can properly dispose of your concrete.
3. Find a Junk Hauling Company
Many junk removal companies are equipped to handle construction debris such as concrete professionally.
Hiring a junk hauling company is a great option if you have a large amount of leftover concrete. This is also a convenient option if you don’t have access to a truck to offload the concrete yourself. This option will cost you, but it will save you the time and manual labor of bringing it yourself.
After you reach out to them, they will send out their team to give you a quote after inspecting the total amount of junk you’ve got.
However, it might be beneficial to estimate how much junk removal will cost before opting for this disposal method.
4. Check with Building Materials Supply Companies
It’s a good idea to see if local building materials suppliers are interested in your concrete junk. Building supply retailers will accept your unused concrete. These businesses typically ask you to haul the concrete to them instead of offering pick-up services.
Those with larger projects may be equipped with grave hauling dump trucks and cement mixers and should have no problems taking in your old concrete.
After all, they need it more than you do and might not even charge you for it. It’s worth dialing up a few suppliers.
5. Contact a Landscaping Company
Landscaping companies are often looking for leftover concrete for their projects. Many landscaping companies have a strong desire to use recycled materials in their projects. These companies typically use leftover concrete as a greener option for creating sidewalks, flower boxes, and retaining walls. As for landscaping construction materials companies, they’ll often crush the leftover concrete to use as a base layer for new roads.
Some are willing to come to your location to haul the load.
6. Donate or Sell
It isn’t uncommon for people to look for cheap (and even free) building materials on online forums such as Craigslist.
Concrete doesn’t come cheap, and contractors and local businesses often hunt for leftover concrete they can use for their current projects. One option for finding these groups is to post an advertisement on social media or Craigslist to let your neighbors know that you have leftover concrete up for grabs. Paying for an ad in your local newspaper would be cheaper than hiring a removal company, and you’ll be able to help someone who needs it.
You may be able to make a little money off of the concrete you’re selling, but in most instances, the best outcome is offering the concrete for free in return for someone else hauling it from your site.
Another route is to reach out to nonprofits and community groups to see if they need leftover concrete. They’re often thankful for the free resource and may offer to come to pick it up for you.
You can also put your concrete by the side of the road with a ‘free’ sign next to it. Eventually, someone interested in taking your concrete may stop by with a truck or trailer and load it up.
How to Reuse Concrete
You can always reuse concrete, in chunks or blocks, in future projects that include retaining walls and landscaping.
1. Aggregate for new concrete mixing. Crushed concrete can replace some of the new aggregate used in ready-mixed concrete.
2. Make permeable paving for walkways, driveways, and other hard surfaces outside. Broken concrete that is carefully laid creates a stable, porous traffic surface that rainwater can filter through. This reduces the amount of runoff water that must be managed by storm sewer systems and helps to replenish groundwater.
3. You can use it to construct raised garden beds and stepping stones.
4. You can also use it to control streambank erosion. Larger pieces of crushed concrete placed along vulnerable stream banks or gullies can help control erosion.
6. When properly crushed and well sorted, ground concrete can replace river rock or other gravel used as ground covers and mulch.
FAQs
How Much Does Concrete Disposal Cost?
For most landfills, the cost per ton of concrete to be dumped on your own will be roughly $20. However, remember that a pickup load of concrete debris would cost you about $40.
The price of petrol, rental fees, and the time required to collect and transport the concrete are not included. You may pay between $300 and $550 to rent a 10-yard dumpster.
For construction materials like concrete, professional waste removal firms frequently provide bedload pricing structures, ranging in price from $240 to $600.
What Happens to the Old Concrete?
The used concrete is recycled for use in various building projects or broken for use as aggregate.
Several businesses recycle the concrete by using commercial pulverizers to smash it. Many contractors gain bonus points for using recycled concrete in inventive ways.
