MHCA hosted a small group of Winnipeg councillors on a tour September 3 to explain the how the industry is working to recycle crushed concrete for reuse on city road works.
The tour included a stop at a road works project, where concrete is being torn up during street repair, and at a concrete recycling facility to get a look at the process by which demolished concrete is turned into aggregate for use in the base and sub-base courses on road construction projects.
“Our industry tears out in excess of 500,000 tonnes of concrete from Winnipeg streets and roads every year and the recycling of this resource – regarded as a valuable product and a priority of public policy in other Canadian and global jurisdictions – is key to good environmental and resource-management stewardship,” Lorenc said.
The tour is part of the industry’s work in securing a place for demolished concrete as the City of Winnipeg updates its road-construction specifications, which sets out standards for construction materials and their properties.
Crushed concrete is recycled into the construction of infrastructure, including roads, in many Canadian jurisdictions as well as the United States and internationally.