We do offer a Forum on Surface Mining, please visit

https://forum.bulk-online.com/ and see an overview of all available forums. The Surface Mining forum was not very active sofar, regrettably.

Perhaps we should start a forum on Environmental Aspects?

A forum on concrete and ashphalt recycling from urban deposits seems to be too specific and these topics should be included in other forums.

I welcome your suggestions.

Reinhard H. Wohlbier ■

I'm new at this business and because of this I've been reading as much as I can in available time to become familiar with the product and the process.

Having read many comments referring to the "Urban Deposit" and how reapplication of recycled ashphalt and concrete save a contractor the cost of land fill, for the dumping fees at a mine are generally a small percentage per ton compared to the cost of dumping at a land fill, leaves me to agree that looking at the environmental aspects is an alternative.

Yet there is an additional step that may be overlooked and if discussed may open up whole new avenues to profit for corporations processing bulk materials - especially recycled materials.

What if, recycled materials could be used for manufacture of a product that was manufactured at the location where the recycleables were dumped?

Can not recycled concrete for example be used to construct sound barrier walls and road control barriers which can be constructed to more tolerant specifications?

This is just an example.

The idea seems rational, since to create a demand for the recycled product (within the company) for manufacturing an entirely different product increases demand for the material being recycled. In a classical economic model, this increase in demand should increase the price of the recycled products or at lease reduce any accesses that may accumulate on site.

The idea of increased application of a recycled resource has environmental consequences such as reduced pressure on land fills as well as reducing contractor costs.

Being an operator of a plant recycling concrete and asphalt I watch the stockpile grow daily and wonder on what new applications might be used to reduce suplus material, especially asphalt. ■

The idea of using either concrete in the construction of rail road ties or ashphalt reduced to the consistancy of sand indicates to me that when a material exists people look for new ways to utilize it.

The use of a materail depends much upon the mateirals characteristics however which includes material angularity, structural elements such as strength as well as chemical composition.

I've thought that recycled concrete would be an ideal product to be used in the fabrication of retainer walls used to direct traffic on interstates (temporary barriers or fixed) since these barriers are not subject to the continual impact stresses or weight loading as if used as concrete rail ties.

But the way - I understand that concrete is used out west for rail ties - but also that there are regulations incumbant upon shippers prohibiting them from having cars with flat spots on their wheels.

It would be interesting to know if recycled concrete is used in making this product. ■