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Industrial materials recycling, also referred to as beneficial use, means reusing or recycling byproduct materials generated from industrial processes. These materials can be used as substitutions for raw materials in the manufacture of consumer products, roads, bridges, buildings, and other construction projects. Thousands of manufacturing and industrial processes and electric utility generators create hundreds of millions of tons of nonhazardous industrial materials that are often wasted.

Nonhazardous industrial materials, such as coal ash, foundry sand, construction and demolition materials, slags, and gypsum, are valuable products of industrial processes. Each material may be recycled in a variety of diverse applications. These materials have many of the same chemical and physical properties as the virgin materials they replace - they can even improve the quality of a product. For example, the use of coal fly ash can enhance the strength and durability of concrete. Putting these commodities into productive use saves resources and energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and contributes to a sustainable future.

Industrial materials recycling:

Preserves our natural resources by decreasing the demand for virgin materials;
Conserves energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing the demand for products made from energy intensive manufacturing processes; and
Saves money by decreasing disposal costs for the generator and decreasing materials costs for end users.

Examples of practical recycling applications include:

Concrete and asphalt crushed and used as an aggregate in pavements or as structural fill;
Coal fly ash, slag, and spent foundry sand recycled in concrete, road embankments, and flowable fill;
Coal ash used in the manufacture of cement and ceiling tiles; and
Flue gas desulfurization gypsum, foundry sand, and pulp and paper byproducts used in manufactured soil and agricultural amendments.

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