Concrete and the Environment

Our concrete contractors at Burnaby Blacktop are experts in concrete paving.

Concrete is one of the most widely used building materials in the world. It is strong, durable, and versatile, making it an ideal choice for a variety of construction projects. In recent years, concrete has also become an increasingly popular choice for environmentally conscious builders or homeowners.

Does Concrete have an Impact on the environment?

First off let’s recognize that all modern construction activity including paving has an environmental impact. In the case of concrete, concrete is a material composed of cement, sand and rock. Cement production is a significant source of industrial carbon dioxide emissions, accounting for approximately 2% of all such releases globally. It is therefore important to use concrete responsibly and to maximize reuse.

Can You Use Concrete in the Environmentally Responsible Way?

A complex question, and to answer it, we need to start by explaining the concrete life cycle.

The concrete life cycle starts with the mining of concrete ingredients. The second phase is concrete production. The third stage is the construction phase. Finally, the demolition and recycling phase completes the concrete life cycle.

Burnaby Blacktop is focused on the use of concrete as a paving material. That means our concrete contractors get involved in the 3rd stage, the construction phase, and the reuse of concrete as aggregate and bulk fill during the recycling phase. Our concrete experts consider which type of concrete, the required volume and which machinery to use in order to minimize the environmental impact. We are conscious of resource efficiency, reusability, durability, and overall life cycle impact.

Used as a Paving Material Concrete Offers Some Significant Sustainability Advantages which Include:

• Long-life – Concrete pavements have an average service life of 30 to 50 years. This equates to reduced lifetime environmental impact compared to alternative materials.
• Low maintenance requirements and costs – No need for repeated resurfacing, frequent spot repairs or patching.
• Low life-cycle cost – Consumes less material, energy, and other resources for construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation activities throughout its service life.
• Safety – Less susceptible to the formation of heavy-vehicle wheel ruts; easier to see at night; ensures shorter vehicle stopping distances in wet weather; due to longevity, there are fewer work zones over the life of the pavement.
• Versatility: when used for parking lots and driveways concrete can offer improved drainage and resistance to surface damage and erosion.

Concrete has been used to construct highways and roads for generations and for good reason. It is nearly indestructible. The combination of low maintenance and long life span is unmatched. Concrete can be used for curbs, entranceways, patios or industrial platforms. In the home, concrete can be used for flooring, countertops, or walls lowering your utility bill substantially because of its thermal properties.

Concrete the Reuseable Wonder Material

Concrete is known for being strong, everlasting, and versatile but increasingly environmentally responsible is being added to its list of properties.

Concrete can be repurposed into different structures over its lifetime, serving new purposes as needed. Once its original purpose is served, concrete can be reused in new pavement, as aggregate in new concrete, or as a road base. Using concrete as a renewable resource is now common practice.

Burnaby Blacktop Uses Concrete for the Best Results

The Burnaby Blacktop team is composed of the best concrete paving contractors in BC and they are all employees with professional training and qualifications. We believe in customer satisfaction and have hand-selected each professionally trained and certified member of our team to focus on you, our clients.

We provide residential concrete paving, commercial concrete paving, strata concrete paving, and municipal concrete paving. Call us or send us a form. We offer free estimates, financing, and chat support.

Let’s make a concrete plan together.