Concrete Slab Recycling?

Hi,

Has anyone had experience with breaking up a concrete slab and recycling it rather than tipping it?

The slab is approx 52sqm so prob too small for one of those commercial recycling mobs.

Also, any tips on breaking the slab would be appreciated. I have seen this stuff and it looks good. Compared to swinging the sledge that is.

Thanks
 
Do you know how much and type of Reo used in the slab?

Did a builder or a home handyman lay the slab as that can make a big difference in the type of reinforcement used
 
In Melbourne and presumably similar in other states you can take concrete to a concrete recycler for free. All it costs is the loading and transport. Is it paving or a building slab you are demolishing?

Tools
 
I can tell you how not to do it!

Guide to how not to break up a slab!
1/ Hire a cement cutting saw from Melbourne suburbs and tow it to the development block just west of Melbourne.
2/ Spend 3 full days going up,down and across the 20x8m wide slab. It was soooo slow.
3/ Hire a dingo to pick up the squares we made only to find the slab was 15cm thick.
3/ Dingo spends half its hire time out of action as it kept blowing its hydraulics due to the heavy squares
4/ Hire a recycling skip.
5/ Load the bin full of broken slab pieces
6/ In comes an old Bedford truck to pick up the bin. Truck lifts it front wheels off the ground, straining to pick up the skip and just manages to pull it onto its flat bed.
7/ Pay a bobcat to level some other debris on the block - only to find out the bobcat could have made very quick and easy work of the slab and had a mate who takes cement on the cheap.

Lesson learnt for the next development!
 

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Do you know how much and type of Reo used in the slab?

Did a builder or a home handyman lay the slab as that can make a big difference in the type of reinforcement used

Not sure on the Reo situation. Will have to check that out further but dont have access to the site for another 4 weeks.

Any tips for finding out if it's reinforced or not. I mean I can't see through the slab to confirm so how can you do it short of trying to smash a bit to find out?

Thanks
 
In Melbourne and presumably similar in other states you can take concrete to a concrete recycler for free. All it costs is the loading and transport. Is it paving or a building slab you are demolishing?

Tools

Good news. Any recommendation for Sydney West?

I have a mate with a tipper and will be using that with the only cost being fuel, my time and my back. Also a slab of beer to him I reckon.

The concrete slab is for a 4 car colourbond garage. At least 15 years old by the look of it. I'm tossing up between taking the whole thing down to build a granny flat rather than trying to convert it. The slab is not in the best position for the site anyway so if I do take the garage down I may as well get rid of the slab to allow us to build on the best spot for the site.
 
We had a similar dilemma with an old slab with a shed on it. After considering the options (removing it or keeping it and dressing to improve) we paid a demolisher $1K to remove the shed and slab altogether. We then spent the money on a lovely new gazebo (elevated with a timber deck which is much nicer) and planted fruit trees where the slab had been.
Good luck with it all.
 
I don't know Sydney but look up concrete recyclers in the yellow pages. If you have transport sorted then I would either get the slab cut in to bite size pieces to man handle, or get a bobcat or small excavator to lift and load. I wouldn't bother buggerising around with that product you posted the link to.

Tools
 
Good news. Any recommendation for Sydney West?

I have a mate with a tipper and will be using that with the only cost being fuel, my time and my back. Also a slab of beer to him I reckon.

The concrete slab is for a 4 car colourbond garage. At least 15 years old by the look of it. I'm tossing up between taking the whole thing down to build a granny flat rather than trying to convert it. The slab is not in the best position for the site anyway so if I do take the garage down I may as well get rid of the slab to allow us to build on the best spot for the site.


Fairfield council run a concrete recycle centre out at Wetherill park

http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/default.asp?iSubCatID=288&iNavCatID=67


There is also one near the Olympic Shooting Range just of the Elizabeth Drv. Turn right instead of left.

At both places you can dispose of concrete for a couple of dollars per tonne.

Bonus is that you can also buy recycled concrete for the return trip.

Cheers
 
Cheapest option is max 5t excavator or bobcat to lift it and brake, they probably won't need jack hammer, but if its very thick and hard to brake they can hire jack hammer attachment for $250 and brake any concrete no worries.

Most of the concrete is reinforced, but thats not a problem those machines will brake it easily.

I have done it many times.

Don't ever use skip bins, thats the most expensive way of disposing of any rubbish, always truck and local tip.

Concrete always to recycling places, never to tip or skip bin.
 
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