How Precast Concrete Products Reduce Waste

Unfortunately, while construction is imperative to the functioning of everyday modern life and having safe, sheltered buildings to sleep, work, or live in is a basic human right, the vast developments of global infrastructures, large buildings, and roads have had a negative impact on the environmental state of the world we live in.

Concrete is essential to our society, and nobody is suggesting that we should stop building constructions that dramatically improve the lives of billions all over the world, but perhaps we should consider if there are more environmentally friendly approaches to standard practice when it comes to the production of modern buildings.

What are the Environmental Implications of Using Concrete?

There are several negative environmental implications associated with the excessive use of concrete.

1. Concrete Produces Significant Carbon Emissions: One of concrete’s key components, cement, is responsible for unsustainable levels of carbon footprint that can’t be maintained as the climate crisis grows in severity. The production of cement involves high-temperature kilns, emitting CO2 at alarming rates as a by-product.

2. Concrete Production Requires Lots of Natural Resources: In the Western world, we can sometimes be naïve enough to believe that there’s an endless supply of everyday natural resources. But with environmental threats increasingly impacting our everyday lives, it is likely that governments will soon pass tighter legislation limiting the amounts of water, stone, sand, and gravel that can be used in the production of concrete. This will force us to re-evaluate the ways we approach construction.

3. Concrete Requires High-Levels of Energy Consumption: Transporting the necessary raw materials and then producing concrete requires significant energy consumption, thus letting off excessive amounts of carbon emissions.

4. Concrete Structures Produce Mass-Generation of Waste: The volume of waste on landfill sites has been getting out of control for years, and the construction and demolition of concrete structures is one of the biggest contributors to this growing epidemic. While concrete itself is inert and can be recycled, the process of breaking down and recycling concrete can be energy-insensitive.

How Can We Use Concrete to Produce More Environmentally Friendly Buildings?

Fortunately, there have been several innovative companies such as JP Concrete, who have adopted new methods to ensure concrete is produced in a way that is mindful of wider environmental needs. One of the biggest breakthroughs in providing more available eco-friendly choices for construction developers is the widespread adoption of precast cement products.

Though precast cement products date back thousands of years and were first implemented by ancient Egyptian and Roman societies, they’ve only been repopularised again recently to help tackle the current climate crisis.

Here are some of the main ways in which using precast cement products helps the production of more eco-conscious buildings.

1. Precast Cement Products Use Materials Efficiently: Precast concrete products are manufactured to precise specifications, minimising material waste during production.

2. Precast Cement Products Reduce On-Site Waste: Since precast concrete components are fabricated off-site and delivered to the construction site as finished products, there is less need for on-site mixing and forming of concrete, which reduces the generation of construction waste such as excess concrete, formwork materials, and packaging.

3. Precast Cement Products are Easier to Recycle: Precast concrete products can be designed for disassembly and reuse, allowing them to be recycled or repurposed at the end of their service life.