Ways to facilitate the use of recycled aggregate concrete

A huge amount of solid waste is generated annually from construction and demolition activities. This has led to the promotion of waste recycling as a major measure to reduce waste and to mitigate the harmful effects of construction activities on the environment. Among these wastes, concrete apportions more than half of the total. While recycled concrete waste has been used in low-grade utilisations, high-grade applications are rarely discussed. Although the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has actively been promoting recycling of construction solid waste by issuing technical circulars, specifications and practice notes and setting up a recycling plant to encourage the adoption of recycled aggregate (RA), these measures have not facilitated wide adoption of recycled aggregate concrete ( RAC). In fact, the quality of RA and RAC is less than that of virgin material or ordinary concrete and concrete suppliers are thus reluctant to use these materials. Utilising a series of laboratory tests, this paper aims to set out some guidelines to facilitate the use of RAC in the construction industry.