Recycled Aggregates Filling a Needed Role

Cecil Jones, a materials engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation and also chair of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Official’s (AASHTO) task force on recycled materials, addressed attendees of a ConExpo session on the use of recycled aggregates in highway applications.

AASHTO, which includes most state departments of transportation as members, writes standards that are used by DOTs and many municipalities across the country.

Jones told attendees he sees the task force’s work as vital, since it will “help extend the limited [aggregate] resources that exist.” Jones also noted, “It’s very difficult to open a new quarry . . . even to expand is difficult.”

The AASHTO task force is committed to maintaining quality standards first and foremost, said Jones, but is also intent on allowing contractors to tap into the tipping fee savings and the large volumes of material that can be theirs when they use recycled aggregates.

Finding the balance between advocating innovation with the “cautious nature” of highway engineers will be the task force’s challenge, Jones acknowledged.

The task force will work with the Recycled Materials Research Center at the University of New Hampshire to ensure testing and scrutiny of any new specifications.

He also remarked that the environmental stewardship angle is important to him and other task force members. “It’s the right thing to do,” Jones said of concrete and asphalt recycling.

As it already stands, both concrete and asphalt industry spokespersons make claims that their material is “the most recycled material in the world,” based either on percentage (asphalt pavement) or volume (concrete). “We don’t publicize that enough,” declared Jones.