MHCA working with national council to boost use of recycled aggregates

The use of recycled concrete aggregates on roads is considered the “low-hanging fruit” in the move toward greater reuse of construction and demolition waste materials and needs a national push for building standards, a national non-profit council says.

There are numerous concerns and barriers to recycling construction and demolition waste in the industry, particularly in the “vertical” construction – such as offices, homes and high rises, but those concerns are much less an issue – because of lower risk — in building roads, said Joanne Godard, executive director of the Circular Innovation Council. Previously known as Recycling Council of Ontario, it has existed for 40 years but has transformed to a national body in recent years.

Godard spoke with the MHCA January 12 in a fact-finding conversation regarding the use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) in roadbuilding in Manitoba. The MHCA has committed to working with the Council to draw more interested parties to a Canada-wide workshop to be held virtually in February.

“We, too, know there are good uses in a broad scope of infrastructure applications for using recycled concrete aggregates,” MHCA President Chris Lorenc said. “There are numerous, unnecessary barriers to making greater use of RCAs across the infrastructure spectrum – and we have to think broadly because we simply can’t afford to waste valuable, reusable materials at the expense of exhausting natural resources, such as limestone, faster than is needed.”

Public and private project owners, such as governments, must begin to consider the vast array of infrastructure projects and applications for RCA use, rather than thinking narrowly about how this product is not identical to traditional materials, such as limestone, for just heavy traffic roads and highways, Lorenc said.

The Council undertakes research and engages key stakeholders on the circular economy in the built environment sector.

It is looking to increase the use of recycled aggregates in major infrastructure projects, including roads, given the environmental and climate benefits. The workshop is being held to discuss material specifications, the barriers, risks, and technical considerations.

The workshop is being funded with private sponsors in the construction industry. It is hoping to attract participation of public and private sector experts and stakeholders to canvass country-wide use and issues and to consider what supports would help to maximize use of RCAs in the market.

The barriers to greater reuse of RCAs puts pressure on virgin aggregate resources, and if pits and quarries are exhausted early, infrastructure projects must source materials farther away. That not only depletes unrenewable resources faster but contributes to the production of greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the carbon footprint, Lorenc noted.

“We are working both at the municipal and the provincial level to encourage industry and governments to find ways to reuse RCAs and, in fact, to reuse construction, renovation and demolition waste,” Lorenc said. “Many other jurisdictions in Canada and globally have made this a priority and it should take greater urgency in Manitoba.”