When a local manufacturing company launched a new revolutionary technology to recycle concrete to clean up landfills, its management had no idea just how timely it was.In attempt to reduce the 163,000 tonnes of concrete dumped in New Zealand landfills eac
When a local manufacturing company launched a new revolutionary technology to recycle concrete to clean up landfills, its management had no idea just how timely it was.
In attempt to reduce the 163,000 tonnes of concrete dumped in New Zealand landfills each year, Cemix developed a new product to provide an environmentally friendly option for home DIY Kiwis and tradesmen.
Cemix Envirocrete is a blended concrete mix, which contains 50% recycled materials including recycled concrete, sand, fly ash and cement.
It took the company six months to develop the pioneering technology, which was launched on September 1 – just two days before the 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand's South Island.
Cemix director Bhav Dhillon, who bought the company two years ago, told the National Business Review being the only company in the country of this type trying to clean up overflowing landfills, was already an ambitious plan and construction debris caused by the disaster would put “extra pressure” on its operation.
“We’ve actually just started recycling it [concrete in landfills] a couple of days before the earthquake happened.
“With the earthquake we have an increased responsibility to speed up this recycling process and put this material back into reusable form.”
The company, which employs 28 people and has operations in both South and North Island, is currently deciding whether to expand its business and employ more people. But Mr Dhillon said it is “early days still” and that “it will depend on how it pans out.
“The main focus for us is to get things going [in quake-hit areas] first. We are more concerned about the community right now.”
Its employees are also working overtime to develop specialist repair concrete and mortars for damaged buildings that are not to be demolished.
For every 1000 tonnes of Envirocrete produced there is a reduction on landfill volume by 500 tonnes and a further 500 tonne reduction on depletion of virgin natural non-renewable aggregate resource by the same amount.
