Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is going to recycle campus concrete and asphalt, which the university says is going to significantly reduce landfill waste and save thousands of dollars.
The recycling is going to save around 30 percent to 40 percent of the cost. It is a “win-win” situation for the university, according to Dave Tippy, superintendent of grounds.
“We are enhancing SIU’s commitment to green initiatives by recycling and reusing materials,” he said. “We’re keeping these products out of the landfills, saving on hauling and landfill costs and not using landfill space while also reducing the expense of purchasing products we use.”
The elimination of the cost for dumping the waste materials and purchasing new base materials is likely to save up to $40,000 in a year. In addition to that, SIU is reducing its environmental impact as well.
Concrete and asphalt are commonly used as building materials. For more than a year, materials from demolished buildings, roadways and sidewalks have been stockpiled at a university-owned site near campus, Tippy said. Last fall, authorities started crushing the materials and then grinding those into an aggregate material and screening to a consistent size for future use in campus construction projects.
Tippy said there were plans to continue the program in future.
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