ReCrete Materials Inc. of Arvada, Colo., hosted Denver media in late July to show of the company’s use of recycled concrete in ready-mix uses and a tilt-up construction application. The materials company worked with Etkin Johnson Group, general contractor Murray and Stafford Inc, concrete contractor CAL Construction Inc. and Forest City Development in using ReCrete’s ready-mix concrete made from the former airport’s recycled runways to create tilt-up panels for the office and industrial development known as Enterprise Park at Stapleton. According to the Tilt-Up Concrete Association, the 1,570 tons of recycled concrete used on this project is the largest ever use of recycled concrete in a tilt-up application. “The current perception that recycled products may only be used for lower end uses is obsolete,” states ReCrete president Jason Buesing. Recycled aggregates (concrete and asphalt) have been used in ready-mix concrete for many years, but mostly on an experimental level or with limited industry dedication or success, according to Buesing. “ReCrete spent several months in the laboratory developing the mix designs that we use today,” says ReCrete vice president of sales and marketing, Jay Hock, a 25-year veteran of Colorado’s concrete industry. “Now, through this project and others, we are changing people’s perception of recycled aggregate.” The Stapleton project has had a recycling focus from the start, thanks in part to the work of fellow Arvada, Colo., company Recycled Materials Co. Inc. (See “The Urban Quarry,” a feature from 2002.) Etkin Johnson Group, plans to seek LEED certification for this portion of the Stapleton project, which includes three buildings with 441,000 square feet of office and industrial space within the Stapleton Redevelopment. The decision to use recycled concrete for the project was based on several factors. “The material was readily available at nominal additional costs, it meets our quality standards and using it has positive environmental impacts,” says Jim Vasbinder, vice president of development for Etkin Johnson Group. Projects to date for ReCrete Materials Inc. have included work for a client list that includes the City and County of Denver, City of Thornton, City of Arvada, the Town of Golden and numerous Colorado residential and construction firms. Using concrete debris from Denver’s former airport as well as from various local demolition projects qualifies for critical pre-consumer and post-consumer LEED points versus traditional mix designs or designs using only fly ash, the company points out. More information on ReCrete Materials Inc. can be found at www.recretematerials.com.