How Do Bricks & Blocks Get Recycled?

Paving Material

• One major recycling use of concrete blocks and bricks is using them in paving surfaces. Companies around the world buy old brick and blocks and either crush them into aggregate to use as a highway sub-base, or keep the bricks and blocks whole and use them to pave a driveway or garden pathway. Reclaimed bricks are more valuable then the aggregate, but both are important materials in the pavement industry.

Landscaping

• Bricks and blocks can be recycled in landscaping projects. If you've always wanted to pave a pathway through your flower gardens, try using old bricks. Or edge your gardens with bricks, building a one-brick wall around each section. Recycle old concrete blocks into building a raised bed garden. If bricks and blocks are in bits and pieces, use them to mulch around trees and other areas needing some weed control. Make a base out of bricks or blocks and place a planter on it to add visual interest.

Plant Substrate

• Crushed bricks and blocks can be added to other materials to make a fine plant substrate. Be careful that you're only using untreated bricks or blocks for this particular purpose. Mix the crushed bricks and blocks with composted organic materials. The porosity of crushed bricks and blocks allows them to retain water and plants can draw on that water during dry spells. Light-colored crushed blocks can lower evaporation and enhance soil moisture levels.

Household Projects

• If you enjoy cookouts, pave a small area with bricks or blocks for use as a fire pit. Outside wood-burning ovens can be built with bricks, with plans available online. These make great pizza ovens, but you can cook many things in them. Use bricks or blocks as a retaining wall. If your house or other buildings has a flat roof, make a "green" roof garden. Cover the roof with a dense polymer membrane and overlay it with 3 to 4 inches of crushed brick and block. Add loamy soil and plant a garden.