For the toolbox tips this January, plant repairs during the down season have taken center stage. Your quick tip this week reminds you to use a Sharpie marker during repairs. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

You probably already tag components that need more than a quick greasing or cleaning with spray paint as you perform routine maintenance during walk-arounds. During today’s tailgate talk, remind your mechanics and ground personnel to mark the little things during repair.

This quick tip can help get some of your components back in place correctly. Use the black Sharpie marker to draw a line on the component before moving it. After greasing or calibrating or what have you, putting the component back in place will be easier when you can see how it fits in place. Line things up nicely before turning screws, etc.

It sounds pretty simple, but it can save time and angst to mark the spot before you take things apart. What else makes reassembly easier after your plant repair jobs? We’ve got a Facebook page where you can share your ideas.

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The Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) is proud to recognize excellence in the C&D industry by announcing its 2024 Awards recipients. Ray Kvedaras, a pioneer in C&D recycling with Cooper Recycling (Brooklyn, NY), will be inducted into the C&D Hall of Fame, the industry’s highest honor, at C&D World 2024, Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in Bonita Springs, FL. GreenWay Recycling (Portland, OR), which recently upgraded its operations to provide one of the highest recycling rates in its region, will receive the prestigious C&D Recycler of the Year Award. Dan Horton, Asphalt Shingle Recycling Systems, will receive the CDRA Member of the Year for pushing the shingle recycling committee and industry forward. Finally, Brandon Lapsys, Viably, will be recognized with the President’s Award for his leadership in helping improve CDRA’s strategies and vision.

These awards were announced by the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association in recognition for excellence in the C&D industry. “The construction materials recycling industry is fortunate to have these companies and individuals a part of it, and we are honored to celebrate their accomplishments through these awards,” said Jason Haus, CDRA President and CEO of Dem-Con Companies.

C&D Hall of Fame

Ray Kvedaras, a pioneer in the C&D industry for over 35 years, has significantly contributed to increasing recycling rates. Beginning on a small property in Brooklyn, he developed a groundbreaking sorting system capable of handling 1200 tpd with a remarkable recycling rate exceeding 70%. Ray collaborates with peers nationwide and actively shares his expertise to enhance plant operations. Under his guidance, Cooper Recycling now manages a cutting-edge processing plant designed for 2,000 tpd. According to Adrienne Cooper, the company’s CEO, “Ray is a role model to all, and the embodiment of what it means to work diligently, thoughtfully, and safely.”

C&D Recycler of the Year

Greenway Recycling has been recovering construction and demolition materials in Portland, OR, for 20 years, and recently invested $7 million to rebuild its “dry waste” facility into a state-of-the-art operation. The RCI-Certified facility boasts the highest recycling rates in the region, allowing local projects to obtain the coveted LEED Gold and Platinum ratings. This is thanks in part to a $700,000 grant through the Investment and Innovation program from Metro, the regional government that manages the Portland region’s garbage and recycling system.

“GreenWay is an excellent example of the innovation, creativity, and resilience our members are known for”, explained Executive Director, Terri Ward. “Combining new technologies with rebuilt and repurposed equipment, investing during the uncertainty of a pandemic, and designing and installing using in-house ingenuity, are just a few of the reasons the CDRA proudly selected GreenWay for this prestigious award.”

CDRA Member of the Year

In the past year Dan Horton, Founding Partner of Asphalt Shingle Recycling Systems, has stepped forward to continue the momentum and expand the CDRA’s Shingle Recycling Committee by bringing in new participants from every stop on the supply change—manufacturer, distributor, hauler, recycler, and end user. This collaboration is furthering the collective understanding and development of potential end markets for recycled asphalt shingles. “Dan has really moved the Shingle Recycling Committee and the industry forward,” said Haus.

CDRA President’s Award

The President’s award is given selectively to highly regarded individuals who exhibit exceptional dedication and passion for the CDRA’s work. This accolade acknowledges leadership that surpasses regular board responsibilities. The recipient’s transformative contributions over numerous years significantly impact the CDRA’s mission and initiatives.

According to CDRA President, Jason Haus, “Our Board is fortunate to have several talented leaders committed to the industry and our mission. Brandon’s leadership and dedication to the CDRA  is highly valued and appreciated. I wanted to personally thank him and recognize his countless contributions with the President’s Award.”

All award winners will be honored as part of the CDRA’s Annual Membership Meeting at C&D World 2024, Jan. 31 – Feb. 2 in Bonita Springs, FL. For more information about the event, go to www.cdraconvention.com.

When suspect material is delivered to your asphalt production facility, do you instruct haul truck drivers to dump it on one large, recycled asphalt product (RAP) stockpile for crushing, screening and manipulation later—probably over the winter months? If you’re blending millings from multiple sources, you might be doing a disservice to your future mix designs.

Let’s look at why.

Depending on the amount of space you have at your site, you want to separate the incoming piles according to their makeup. Given the conversations happening around Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in airport and other airfield pavements, you’ll likely want those millings to be in a stockpile built on a paved surface, downhill from a waterway, with its own berm around it. Cover it to protect it from rainfall that might encourage chemicals to “escape” and perform testing to ensure any dangerous chemical residue stays below permissible levels.

Please note I’m not condoning segregation of material within the individual pile. Use best stockpile management practices to keep material a homogenous blend going to the weigh bridge, conveyors, drum and so on.

Other stockpiles can be arranged according to nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS) or the known PG binder in the roadway you milled up. I recognize it’s pie-in-the-sky thinking to believe you’ll know the grade of binder used in the surface you’re taking an inch or two off of, but townships or agencies with good records should be able to tell you, “We paved Elmsview Parkway with a PG68-22 back in 2014 and we’d like to mill and fill it with the same.”

By sorting and—dare I say it—segregating your RAP into multiple piles, you give your future mix design and production team a better chance at superb quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA).

That sounds like a lot of work.

Not every mix incorporating RAP—or even high percentages of RAP—requires exact grading, but when the option is available to you, why not use it? You might as well make the best mix with the most accurate ingredients. You might as well separate your stockpiles into known material versus unknown for those exacting specs and PFAS regulations coming down the line.

Stay Safe,

Sandy Lender

The weight of the drum and the weight of the aggregates you’re drying inside it will cause a downward axial thrust. It’s physics.

One of the many reasons you want to counteract this downward creep is to stop the wear on equipment. Counteracting the creep of gravity takes proper setup: make sure you set all trunnions exactly the same. If you skew them a bit to overcompensate for the downward axial thrust, don’t skew too far.

Step 1. Adhere to OSHA lockout/tagout regs. Safety is always your first step.

Step 2. Remove trunnion guards by loosening the adjustment plate mount bolts. (And check the bolts for corrosion while you’re working with them.)

Step 3. Center the drum in the inlet and outlet breaching.

Step 4. Set all trunnions to the neutral position.

Step 5. Set all trunnions so they position the drum correctly between the thrust control rollers, introducing no more than 1/8-inch skew into the trunnions.

Step 6. Double-check the drum is on its proper slope.

Step 7. Tighten all adjustment plate mount bolts; replace trunnion guards; clean the area; reverse OSHA lockout/tagout regs.

Applications for the the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) 2024 Awards of Excellence and Certificates are now open. Awards are available in the areas of Community Relations, Environment and/or Safety initiatives. Awards of Excellence and Certificates are awarded on a facility level; the Environmental Leadership Award and James M. Christie Safety and Health Professional of the Year Award are awarded on an individual level.

Early bird pricing for applications is available until March 1 and the final deadline to submit applications is April 1. To get started with your application today, click here or select the application from this list:

NSSGA Awards of Excellence

Community Relations Excellence Award

Environmental Excellence Award

Safety Excellence Award

Certificates

Community Relations Certificate

Environmental Certificate

Individual Award Categories

Environmental Leadership

James M. Christie Safety & Health

Award winners will be announced formally during NSSGA’s 2024 Legislative & Policy Forum, Sept. 24 – 27. For more information on the NSSGA awards, including a listing of our previous NSSGA Awards of Excellence and individual award winners please visit the NSSGA Award website.

Women of Asphalt (WofA) has announced the appointment of Lora Collins and Stefani Martella to its Board of Trustees. Both women have led impressive careers in the industry, bringing expertise and innovative ideas to the team.

“We welcome Lora and Stefani to our Board of Trustees and look forward to their participation and contribution to the organization,” said WofA President Sheila Barkevich, “Their experience within the industry provides invaluable insight that strengthens our organization’s mission heading into 2024.”

About Lora Collins

Lora Collins began her career with Marathon Petroleum Company in 2007 as Propane Product Manager. Prior to joining MPC, she worked in research chemistry roles at Pfizer and Procter & Gamble for 16 years. Since 2007, Lora has continued to work in various roles in the Commercial organization including Brand and Wholesale Marketing, Asphalt Technology, and Pricing. In October 2017, she began an assignment as Asphalt Region Manager that expanded into her current role as Asphalt Value Chain Director.

Lora graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Ohio Northern University in 1991. She and her husband Alan have five children (ages 20 to 25 years). She enjoys spending time with her family and managing her fantasy football team.

About Stefani Martella

Stefani Martella graduated from Towson University with a degree in Political Science which led to the start of her construction career in 2008 as the Member Services & Legislative Affairs Director for Associated Builders and Contractors Chesapeake Chapter. In 2010 Stefani received an opportunity to redesign and manage an aggregate and hauling company serving the DMV region where she successfully faced the challenge of learning a new scope of the industry. Currently, Stefani is the Sales Manager for Francis O. Day Company where she has managed their FOB sales and marketing team since 2018. Stefani is active with the Maryland Asphalt Association where she participates on several committees. Stefani also launched the Maryland Branch of Women of Asphalt as Chairwoman in 2020 where she still serves, served on the Women of Asphalt Knowledge Committee in 2022 and 2023, honored as a recipient of the 23 outstanding women in 2023 campaign by the Women of Asphalt and joined the Women of Asphalt Board of Directors in 2024.

Stefani lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her two children, Bailyn and Brody, and enjoys being surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay and the Baltimore Ravens.

To learn more about the other members of the WofA Board, please click here.