Sustainability is an important aspect of all our mix designs here at Spragues’ Ready Mix. When we manufacture and deliver our ready mix concrete, we’re always thinking, “How can we do this in an even greener way?”
There are a few things we do to increase our sustainability without compromising our exacting quality standards.
- We use the latest “green” materials.
We use carbon-reducing supplementary cementitious materials—in layman’s terms, anything that can act like Portland cement, but isn’t—that not only reduce carbon, but increase the durability and performance of the ready mix concrete we make.
- We use materials that qualify for LEED points.
Our pervious concrete, for example, can help contribute LEED points to your next LEED certified commercial or residential building. Pervious concrete is an environmentally-friendly ready-mix concrete alternative with pockets of air that allows water to seep through it to reduce stormwater runoff.
Read more about pervious concrete.
By using the latest technology in water reduction techniques, we are able to use less water in our mixes—saving water in the meantime! We incorporate the use of an Alar Industrial water filter that allows us to filter returned water from industrial production back into our manufacturing process.
- We aim for a zero discharge philosophy.
At each of our plants, we try to reduce our waste stream to limit our impact on the environment. Anything we can recycle, we do! When concrete is returned back to our facilities, we recycle the concrete into new aggregates or create concrete blocks that can be used for industrial or landscaping opportunities.
- We contain concrete process water with EnviroGuard.
More stringent environmental standards and regulations have pushed ready-mix concrete drivers, contractors, and municipalities to contain or dispose of concrete process water, which has a high pH, in a safer way.
We solved this problem by using the Enviroguard Chute Wash System. This system allows drivers to clean their trucks without creating any hazard to the environment. It recycles all concrete wash water back into the drum of the concrete mixer without putting any risk on the contractor or municipality.
We are proud to be a leader in sustainable ready mix concrete manufacturing. In fact, we were the first ready mix concrete supplier in Southern California to install Enviroguard Chute Wash Systems on concrete mixers.
- Energy & Environmental Fees
We are constantly working to improve our products and services, contain our operating costs, and develop solutions to reduce our overall environmental and energy impact. However, the rising costs of environmental and energy are not fully within our control. Because of this, customers will be assessed certain company determined fees per load of concrete purchased.
The Energy and Environmental Fees collected help, in part, to cover direct and indirect companywide costs to run our operations in a safe and environmentally sustainable manner, comply with everchanging governmental and regulatory requirements, additional fees charged by our vendors and suppliers, and to achieve an acceptable operating margin. Examples of these companywide energy and environmental costs include, but are not limited to, EPA fees and related costs, AQMD permits, DTSC fees, waste oil disposal costs, Water Resources Board permits and related fees, AQMD compliant truck purchases and modifications, County HAZMAT fees, Storm Water PPP permits, fees and controls, UST Fuel Monitoring Systems, returned concrete handling, loading and dumping costs, fuel and lubricants, electricity, upgrading plant electric motors/controls and company vehicles to make them energy efficient and environmentally compliant.
The amount of the Energy and Environmental Fees are not tied to specific costs, or to service a specific customer, and are subject to change or implementation at any time at Spragues’ Ready Mix’s discretion. The Energy Fee and Environmental Fee are also not a tax, surcharge, or fee mandated by or remitted to any governmental or regulatory agency.
