Concrete is everywhere. It is the second most consumed material after water and it shapes our built environment. Homes, schools, hospitals, offices, roads and runways all make use of concrete. Concrete is extremely durable and can last for hundreds of years in many applications. However, human needs change and waste is generated – more than 900 million tonnes per annum in Europe, the US and Japan alone, with unknown quantities elsewhere. Concrete recovery is achievable – concrete can be crushed and reused as aggregate in new projects.

As part of the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), the cement industry has been looking at recycling concrete as a component of better business practice for sustainable development. This report provides some background on the current state of play worldwide. In some countries a near full recovery of concrete is achieved. However, in many parts of the world the potential to recover concrete is overlooked and it ends up as unnecessary waste in landfill.

Further, concrete waste statistics are difficult to come by, which is partly explained by the relatively low hazard that the waste poses compared with some other materials, as well as low public concern. Even though concrete is a relatively harmless waste, the cement industry encourages initiatives to recover this resource and minimize waste.

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