What to do with concrete? (recycle, natural, environmental, contract)

[verybadgnome]

I was thinking of demolitioning my concrete driveway and putting in gravel or some other hardscape. The driveway was put in by amateurs, isn't level and is just and eyesore. Plus I can park in the back of my house via the alleyway.

Is there anything the old concrete can be used for? Will most contractors just take it to the dump? Can it be ground up and used as some type of base for my new cover?

[MissingAll4Seasons]

Most contractor will just haul it to the dump, but some will take it to a local concrete manufacturer to be ground up and recycled into aggragate for new concrete.

If you're busting it up yourself, you can use "urbanite" instead of gravel pretty much anywhere you'd use stones, blocks or gravel in your landscape... just depends on how much busting you want to do.

I made edging for some planting beds with larger chunks of old concrete from an old patio I removed, and I've also bought crushed recycled concrete from the factory to use instead of gravel around my dripline and downspouts. If you can break out a couple of larger and irregular slabs that are decent-looking, they make pretty good stepping stones for garden paths, etc.

[MissingAll4Seasons]

Hey, just noticed you were in Austin -- You might want to check Alamo Concrete (on Todd?). My sister and BIL just got a bunch of crushed recycled concrete for their near barn foundation out in Bartlett and I think they got it from there, They'd at least be able to point you in the right direction if you were looking to have the oncrete removed by a pro and then recycled rather than repurposing it yourself.

[verybadgnome]

I put an ad on craigslist for broken concrete, take away for free and one guy has answered saying he will take it away in his pickup. I guess it could make good fill...........

[Tek_Freek]

We built a concrete retaining wall for a raised garden using recycled once.

[thecoalman]

Someone will always have a use for it. My one relative has a place near the river and he puts it on an outcropping to prevent erosion. River comes up and fills all the cracks in with mud. Give it two years and it's "gone", doesn't take long for the natural plants to take over.

[tambre]

These are some really, great tips!

[BECLAZONE]

I re-used a few thousand tons of broken up concrete to raise a commercial glasshouse above ground level. It saved quite a lot on the building cost, both financially, and environmentally.

[GregW]

most anything you would use ugly stone for.