Recycling and Reclaiming Resources
September 2019
Duininck paving and grading crews recently wrapped up a several-month long tennis court resurfacing project at the Willmar High School. The project began the beginning of June and was completed the second week of August, just in time for the athletes to come back and practice on brand new courts. “Projects like these are generally really front-loaded, with a lot of the work happening in the beginning. We have to let the asphalt sit for a month before they can paint it, so we worked the schedule backwards based on that,” shared Lucas Post, Duininck Business Development – Private.
The initial project request was to remove the existing surface, haul in new base material, get it prepped, and lay new asphalt for 8 courts. The Duininck team performed tests early on which helped them confirm they would be able to reclaim and recycle the existing asphalt.
“It takes a little bit of work beforehand, but it might give us an advantage with the bid,” Post stated. “Once Duininck was awarded the bid, we were able to go in and take the existing asphalt and pulverize it into the gravel below instead of having to haul in new Class 5 gravel.” By reclaiming the existing asphalt, Duininck was able to save the Willmar High School nearly $40,000.
Along with reclaiming the asphalt, Duininck was also able to recycle some of the asphalt. They took a portion of the existing asphalt, and since the recycled mix doesn’t require as much new oil to be infused, it helps keep the cost down. Recycling the asphalt helped save the school around $10,000. “It’s important to find useful ways to reuse the asphalt, and by recycling it, it supplements having to use more oil,” Post shared. “I would say 95% of all the asphalt taken off the road or in any capacity is reused at some point.”
On top of the savings for the recycling and reclaiming of the asphalt, the crews dug some test holes once they started the project and realized there was even more existing sand than they anticipated that could be used. They credited that amount back to the school, which was in turn used to install new drain tile for the court area. In total, 1100 tons of asphalt, 1200 linear feet of drain tile, and only a minimal amount of gravel was brought in for the project. By recycling and reclaiming as many materials as possible, Duininck was able to save the Willmar High School around $100,000.
“We have always had a great relationship with Duininck on the projects we have worked together on and this one was no different,” shared Ryan Blahosky, Willmar High School Activities Director. “Lucas and his team worked hard for us and he was very responsive when we had questions or concerns to be addressed. We have an awesome facility and Duininck should be proud of the work they did to give our students/athletes a top notch facility that we can all be proud of.”