State of US Practice for Disposal and Reuse of Concrete Residuals

Construction operations such as hydrodemolition, diamond grinding, and grooving of concrete infrastructure generate large amounts of concrete residuals. These residuals can be slurry water with suspended or dissolved concrete solids, relatively large solid pieces of concrete, and wastewater, which must be disposed of or beneficially reused. In many instances, these residuals are classified as inert debris, allowing them to be reused as soil amendment or as fill material instead of disposed of in a landfill or a municipal wastewater treatment facility. Guidelines and regulations regarding the disposal and handling of concrete residuals differ in every state. This paper provides an overview of the current state of the practice in the United States in the disposal and reuse of concrete residuals, with an emphasis on identifying differences in state transportation agency requirements and currently utilized and potential methods for recycling these residuals.