Coming Soon: Concrete Facts

At its 2004 mid-year meeting in New Orleans, the Construction Materials Recycling Association (CMRA) board of directors gave the green light to several initiatives, including the establishment of an Internet home for concrete recycling knowledge.

After previous consideration, the CMRA board approved the development of a concrete recycling Web page that will be found at www.concreterecycling.org. The site will list the known benefits and engineering characteristics of recycled concrete. Several possible partners to help develop the site are being discussed, as is consideration of a research firm that will help develop the site.

The board also approved the creation of a best management practices guide for the use of C&D fines. The best management practices guide had been planned before the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) announced its ban on C&D fines in MSW landfills (See both the Editor’s Focus, pg. 4 of this issue, as well as the sidebar news item found on pg. 26). The CMRA now plans to approach the New Hampshire agency to work with it to develop the guide. Other planned participants include landfill operators and regulatory agencies from other states, according to William Turley, executive director of the CMRA.

In other action, the board agreed to consider another opportunity to do more testing on recycling concrete with lead-based paint on it, similar to what the CMRA did earlier this year in cooperation with the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory of the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Demolition Association.