Roadways are an essential part of the mobility that we all need to have in both urban and suburban environments, and of course good roads are needed in more rural areas of Ontario too. Roads require upkeep and maintenance once on an ongoing basis once they’re built, as obviously there is a lot of wear and tear on them. There is an ongoing aim to find ways to reduce the frequency and severity of potholes, and there are engineers working on that. On a more positive note there has been real progress with making recycled tires part of that asphalt that goes down on roads. More can be done to increase the sustainability of roadway maintenance and, fortunately, it is being done.
Our day to day is all about dumpster rentals for Colborne and Trenton area residents who are renovating properties or have the need to clean up a job site. There can other instances where you’d need to rent a dumpster and have it delivered and picked up, and if you have one of them then we’re your best choice as a service provider around here. Our trucks will be travelling on the same roadways as the rest of you, so we can definitely relate to how that maintenance and upkeep is important. Increasing sustainability with it is important too, and what is nice to see is how the trend now is to have recycled aggregates used for road building.
Population growth has been explosive in Ontario, and other parts of Canada too. There’s a lot to dislike about that but it seems there’s nothing that can be done to stop it, or even slow it to a more reasonable rate. Most folks will be in a minivan within a week of arriving and so it is not hard to imagine how the wear and tear on the roads is more pronounced than ever before. The huge increases in traffic being seen are a direct correlation to all of this and it makes sense that civic governments are looking at anything and everything they can do to find efficiencies along with reducing the amount of environmental harm that comes with building and maintaining roads.
So this use of recycled aggregates in road building will be the focus of this month’s blog entry here, and as always we are going to take a keen interest in anything that is related to material recycling and repurposing as it’s indirectly related to what we do here at Load n’ Lift. Our expertise is with disposal bin rentals for Belleville and Port Hope plus any other municipality in the area around us here in the Marmora area. We’ll do what we do well, and it seems the folks at Engtec consulting in Mississauga are doing the same thing.
Let’s look at exactly what that is.
Functional Fit
What makes all of this a go is that testing done by their civil engineering consulting firm has now shown that recycled aggregates have comparable performance in terms of load-bearing support in pavement structures and that the structural integrity of pavement is not compromised when using crushed concrete. This is based on findings presented at a professional development webinar hosted by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers. Engtec’s 2024 research report demonstrated RCA (recycled crushed aggregate) gradation equivalency to primary aggregates and that there is no need to increase layer thickness when using crushed concrete in pavement structures.
But what is recycled crushed aggregates exactly? It is reclaimed asphalt pavement and/or concrete taken from the millions of tonnes removed from construction sites across Ontario as roads are repaired, bridges are maintained, and other critical infrastructure is replaced and expanded. It is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to primary aggregates and is right in line with the sustainability goals the Province has for all civic infrastructure projects.
It is also being suggested as a way to lower carbon emissions associated with long-haul trucking, reduce pollution and traffic congestion, and extend the life of non-renewable resources. When these materials are reclaimed they undergo an additional rigorous process of crushing, screening, testing, and quality control to be repurposed for their application as construction material in new projects. Concrete waste is at times among what we collect with dumpster rentals for Castleton and Cherry Valley here way to the East of the GTA, and there is a lot of new construction going on here at all times.
180 million tonnes of aggregates are used annually here in the Province, and upwards of 50% used in roadways, bridges, and tunnel construction. But under 7% comes from recycled sources to this point, with much attributed to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation in the construction and maintenance of its 400-series highways. The suggestion now is for incorporating RCA into municipal infrastructure as much as possible. The fact that it is now shown to be suitable for it and with no risk of lowered structural integrity for roadways means that this can go ahead.
Property owners who are nearing the end of any big job may well have a mound of waste that they’re needing to get rid of. Few people if any are capable of that on their own, so the smart move is to rent a dumpster and have it delivered on site before you get started with whatever big job it is they’ve got lined. You’re not going to find better rates on disposal bin rentals or a rubbish removal service like you will here at Load n’ Lift, and that’s a big part of why we one of the best rated service providers here in this part of Ontario and for Quinte, Northumberland, and Prince Edward County regions.
Also be sure to check out the offers we have for dumpster rental discounts. One call does it all and we will deliver and then pick up your bin exactly when you need it done. Along with the best in customer service for every customer.
