Waste minimisation at Stevenson Concrete

In recent years there has been a noticeable movement towards sustainability within the concrete industry and with improving concrete’s reputation as a sustainable product.

Stevenson Concrete has undertaken a broad-based drive towards a sustainable business model, and to minimising waste - an expensive by-product of the concrete business. Using the diversity of the Stevenson Group, Stevenson Concrete has drawn on the expertise of Stevenson Resources and the Stevenson Laboratory to investigate opportunities for developing sustainable solutions.

Waste minimisation initiatives at Stevenson Concrete

Using as much of our waste water as possible, in our concrete mixes. Town supply water is now only used for washing trucks. Read more about stormwater management at Stevenson Concrete.
Researching reuse of concrete waste produced at the concrete plant.
Striving to reduce the cement content in concrete by using partial cement replacement products. We’re actively researching international trends in this area.
Analysing our waste stream, including power and water.
Isolating a work area at the bottom section of our yard which forms part of our catchment for recycling water. A series of ponds that are linked for filtration purposes, capture water which is later reused for concrete production, washing inside truck bowls and general yard washing. Any surplus water is pumped from the ponds and stored in three adjacent 20,000 litre tanks.

Stevenson Concrete is committed to promoting the inherent eco-benefits of concrete, as well as finding ways to enhance the sustainability in its application and manufacture.

Maximising the benefits of Concrete

Recent research confirms that the carbonation of concrete is a mechanism that counteracts much of the CO² emissions resulting from the original manufacture of cement.1 Upon exposure to air, concrete and concrete masonry have the potential to absorb atmospheric CO².
Concrete is a sustainable material because it can be used and reused. The overall lifetime of a product or building is what needs to be considered. So although CO² is produced in the manufacturing of cement, this needs to be set against the life of concrete, which can be extended by crushing and reusing it in aggregate, concrete, or block-making.
Apart from the obvious advantages of concrete, such as fire resistance, durability strength and the capacity to act as a heat “sink”, there are also advantages including sound proofing and sound insulation. Concrete floors or walls absorb heat during the day and let the heat out slowly in the evening. Stevenson Concrete are developing systems that enable walls to provide efficient thermal characteristics.
The use of cement additives and alternative fuels and the development of new cements that enable depolluting and ultra-high-strength concretes is ongoing in the concrete industry, along with research into the CO² properties of concrete.