Thousands of tons of concrete recycled annually at Fort McCoy

Photo By Scott Sturkol | Workers with contractor Gerke Excavating Inc. of Tomah, Wis., break up and move old concrete before it’s placed in a rock crusher Feb. 28, 2018, at a location on North Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. Gerke is completing the work as a subcontractor for Panacea Group of Seymour, Wis. Concrete is recycled every year at Fort McCoy each year for new purposes, such as material to create a road base or upgrade tank trails. The work for 2018 requires crushing 4,000 tons of recycled asphalt and 20,000 tons of recycled concrete. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

03.01.2018

Story by Scott Sturkol                                                                                        

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

A contractor began recycling tons and tons of old concrete in February on Fort McCoy’s North Post.

Concrete is recycled every year at Fort McCoy each year for new purposes, such as material to create a road base or upgrade tank trails.

Contractor Panacea Group of Seymour, Wis., began work in February with a rock crusher at a Directorate of Public Works (DPW) staging area on North Post, said DPW Construction Inspection Branch Chief Dan Hanson.

“The work consists of crushing 4,000 tons of recycled asphalt and 20,000 tons of recycled concrete,” Hanson said.

DPW Water and Wastewater Branch Supervisor Michael Miller, who oversees recycling efforts at Fort McCoy, said the Army has a standing goal to reduce the amount of waste sent to a landfill by 50 percent.

“The term for not sending waste to a landfill is called diversion,” Miller said. “One of the things you can do to divert waste is recycle it.”

Military installations such as Fort McCoy have many types of waste streams, Miller said. Old concrete is part of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste stream, which also must have a recycle rate of at least 50 percent.

“At least 85 to 90 percent of the C&D waste weight is concrete, so by recycling and reusing that concrete alone, we are surpassing that 50 percent goal,” Miller said.

DPW General Engineer John Adams said the contractor set up a rock crusher, primarily to crush the concrete.

“During this process, the contractor separates metals from the concrete for recycling as well,” Adams said. “Most of the concrete that is crushed and recycled comes from the demolition of old buildings and other infrastructure within the cantonment area at Fort McCoy.

“It can be old footings or foundations, old stairways, or parking areas,” Adams said.

When the demolition is done, the old concrete is hauled to the holding area on North Post. Once there is a sufficient accumulation of concrete and materials that need to be crushed and recycled, a task order is created to have a contractor like Panacea Group come in and get the work done, Adams said. One example is the tons of old concrete moved from the summer 2017 demolition of the old West Silver Wetland Dam that was on South Post.

Adams said metals separated from the concrete are sorted in two piles for ferrous and nonferrous materials. Ferrous metals have iron in them, such as rebar. Nonferrous metals include aluminum, brass, copper, nickel, tin, lead, and zinc, as well as precious metals such as gold and silver.

“Once the metals are weighed, they are hauled offsite,” Adams said. “During the process they submit weight tickets of what was separated to DPW.”

The concrete recycling process has been very beneficial for the installation and the environment, Miller said. For many years, crushed concrete gravel has been used for road and trail improvements throughout the installation.

“You also have to look at the cost of sending something like that to the landfill,” Miller said. “With nearly 100 percent of the concrete being recycled at Fort McCoy, that’s hundreds of tons of material we are not paying to be sent to a landfill somewhere, which is significant.

“You also have to look at the cost of not having to buy new materials for the road improvements that take place annually on post,” Miller said. “It’s a great savings all around.”

Fort McCoy has supported America’s armed forces since 1909. The installation’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” The post’s varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure, combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at www.mccoy.army.mil, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

• Date Taken: 03.01.2018
• Date Posted: 03.01.2018 12:28
• Story ID: 267744
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US