Page 48 - 2021 Sustainability Report

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

In addition to products like our scrubber stone, in 2021 we the amount of municipal solid waste generated in the
took further steps to increase our presence in the recycled country each year. Landfills are finding it hard to meet the
aggregate market with the acquisition of assets in both growing demand for space so every pound of material that
Texas, Minnesota and California. In 2021, across our can be recycled is a net gain.
network of operations, we accepted more than 2.8 million
tons of concrete generated from various construction/ Jason Lynch, Regional VP/GM — Southern Texas
demolition projects (i.e. bridge/building demolition, Aggregates Region, oversees a network of recycling yards
highway projects, airport reconstruction, port projects). around Houston, Texas. In 2021, these 10 operations
During this same period, our operations processed over 3.2 recycled more than 1.3 million tons of concrete from a
million tons of this material for reuse. This material is 2,900 square mile area around metropolitan Houston.
recycled and converted to various recycled products such Lynch sees benefits on many levels. “The production of
as crushed base, ballast and rip rap. locally sourced materials supplements the supply of
aggregates in this market with few local natural sources.
As noted above, recycled concrete can play a significant The business is a little different than a quarry because we
part in reducing the GHG footprint of cement through the are working with other companies and the public to
process of recarbonation. Moreover, by recycling concrete acquire the raw materials that will ultimately be recycled
versus mining virgin aggregate, a certain portion of the for their own use on projects in the future. There is also a
GHG emissions that would otherwise be released are substantial amount of steel that is salvaged from the
eliminated. Finally, the EPA estimates that 600 million tons reinforcement within the concrete. These operations also
of construction and demolition debris was generated in the generated approximately 18,000 tons of steel that can go
United States in 2018. That volume is more than two times back into use.”

Our Hunter Cement Plant
New Braunfels, Texas

46 2021 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT