Promoting Recycled Aggregates

Aggregate Recycling Committee Ready to tackle industry challenges By weight, concrete and asphalt are the most recycled materials in North America. This success is attributed to the technology available to process these materials and the economic viability of the marketplace. Recycling aggregates also aligns with society’s recent calls to decarbonize the transportation and construction sectors, further promoting the practice. However,…

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Why a code to reduce the carbon in concrete is important

Production and placement of concrete is responsible for an estimated 7 percent of total carbon emissions, worldwide. Recently, significant policy and legislative efforts have been undertaken to limit the embodied carbon associated with concrete and other construction materials. This action has taken place at the municipal, state, and federal levels simultaneously, leading to varied and inconsistent approaches to limiting the…

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A New Partnership

Recycling is central to concrete, cement and aggregate sustainability efforts This column is the start of a new media partnership between SEMCO Publishing’s Concrete Products, Rock Products and Cement Optimized publications, and our organization—the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA)—that will highlight the important role recycling aggregate materials plays in the sustainability efforts of the concrete, natural aggregate, and cement…

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It is Not a Driver Shortage

By Nate Tarbox For many years those of us in the ready-mix concrete industry have complained and struggled to fill open delivery driver positions. As recently as 2017, almost one-half of ready-mix producers reported lost business due to the shortage of drivers. Over three quarters of our industry’s producers have been actively hiring drivers in recent years. We have the…

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CMU Checkoff concerns: Escrow terms, districting, and fund allocations

By Edward Antonini While we have always supported the research, education, and promotion of concrete masonry units, Angelus Block Co., Inc. vehemently opposes the CMU Checkoff about to be voted on by the industry. Among the multitude of problems in the Department of Commerce’s proposed CMU Checkoff order and its associated one-cent per block collection, we find: It mandates an…

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CMU Checkoff will propel industry to new heights

People make the concrete masonry industry. And it doesn’t hurt that the men and women who call the business home also contribute to one of the most economically sound, environmentally friendly and functional building materials on the planet. A new checkoff program will help propel the industry to new heights, help block producers put more money in their pockets and…

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Five tips for unlocking hidden profits in your concrete business

By all accounts, concrete is a good business these days. Construction and building materials industries are largely considered essential. Work continues despite the current circumstances, though often adjusted to meet new safety requirements and economic conditions. But even without the impact of Covid-19 on life and business, the concrete industry faces unique challenges:

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Building a Better World With Concrete

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by William C. Holden

The start of a new year and a new decade seems like a good time to take stock. Looking back over a long career in concrete, there’s a lot to consider. This is the industry that has literally built the modern world. It’s also the industry often blamed for it. But as our long history proves, no one stands more ready to face the challenges of the future than we do.

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