10 June 2026 · 7 min read
Concrete recycling in South-East Queensland: what it costs and how it works
On-site concrete crushing across Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, the Gold Coast and Toowoomba, as low as $8 per tonne on higher-tonnage jobs, weighed on the machine. Here is what it costs, what drives the price, and how the job runs from float to finished product.
If you are a civil or demolition contractor in South-East Queensland with concrete, brick, rock or asphalt to deal with, recycling it on site is almost always cheaper than carting it to the tip and buying base material back in. The reason is that carting is never a single line item, while crushing on site is. Here is what concrete recycling costs across SEQ, what actually drives the number, and how the job runs.
What concrete recycling on site means
We bring a mobile impact crusher, the RM 70GO! 2.0, to your site and crush demolition concrete, brick, rock and reclaimed asphalt into compactable road base, drainage gravel and 5 mm or 10 mm aggregate. You keep the crushed product and reuse it on the job. We do not cart material away or run a tip; this is a crushing service, not a disposal service, so the value stays on your site instead of leaving on the back of a truck.
What it costs
Crushing on site is priced per tonne, weighed by the crusher's onboard belt scale so you pay for exactly what is produced. Most jobs land around $10 per tonne, and higher-tonnage jobs can come in as low as $8 per tonne. Compare that to the three separate costs of carting concrete away: truck haulage, tip fees, and then buying road base back in to replace what you sent off. Recycling on site removes all three.
- As low as $8 per tonne on higher-tonnage jobs, weighed on the machine by the onboard scale.
- No tip fees and no cartage of the material off site.
- No buying road base back in, because you reuse what you crush.
- Transport quoted fairly by location across SEQ and NSW.
What drives the price
Two jobs of the same tonnage can quote differently, and it usually comes down to a handful of factors. Knowing them helps you plan the stockpile to get the best rate:
- Volume: higher tonnage spreads the mobilisation and brings the per-tonne rate down, which is how jobs reach the $8 per tonne end.
- Material and feed size: clean, consistent concrete runs fastest; heavily oversized material needs breaking down first.
- Site access and space: room to feed the crusher and stack the product keeps the machine producing.
- Location: transport is quoted fairly from our SEQ and NSW hubs by distance.
- Product required: a single base product is simplest; multiple screened grades can change the setup.
A simple way to compare
Take a job with a worthwhile pile of clean concrete. Carting it off means paying trucks to haul it, paying the tip to take it, and then paying again to buy and truck in road base to replace it. Crushing it on site replaces all of that with one per-tonne rate, and you still end up with the base you would otherwise have bought. On most jobs with real volume, the on-site option wins clearly once all three carting costs are counted, not just the tip fee. Our cost calculator lets you put your own tonnage and tip fees in and see the indicative difference in seconds.
How it works on site
The RM 70GO! 2.0 is a compact mobile impact crusher, about 24 tonnes, producing up to 140 tonnes per hour. It travels on a standard float with no oversize classification and is crushing within about 20 minutes of arriving. One operator runs it from the cabin with a radio remote. A magnet lifts the liberated reinforcing steel out of the crushed concrete, and the closed-loop screen grades the product to size in a single pass, so the finished base builds up ready to use.
Areas we cover
We crush across South-East Queensland, including Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba, and throughout New South Wales including Sydney, Western Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle.
Who it is for
Concrete recycling on site suits civil contractors, demolition contractors, councils and developers with a worthwhile volume of clean, hard material. We take clean concrete, brick, rock and reclaimed asphalt, not mixed or general waste. Crews across SEQ trust us with it, including C Civil and Fulton Hogan.
To recycle concrete on your South-East Queensland or New South Wales project, call 0401 803 662 or request a quote.
Common questions
- How much does concrete crushing cost in South-East Queensland?
- On-site concrete crushing is priced per tonne and weighed on the machine. Most jobs land around $10 per tonne, and higher-tonnage jobs can come in as low as $8 per tonne. Transport is quoted fairly by location and the firm price is confirmed at quote.
- Why is recycling concrete on site cheaper than going to the tip?
- Carting concrete away is three costs in one: truck haulage, tip fees, and then buying road base back in to replace what you sent off. Crushing on site replaces all three with a single per-tonne rate, and you keep the recycled product to reuse on the job.
- What affects the price of a crushing job?
- Mainly the volume, the material and feed size, site access and space, the location for transport, and the product grades you need. Higher tonnage and clean, consistent material bring the per-tonne rate down, which is how jobs reach the $8 per tonne end.
- How is the tonnage measured for billing?
- By the crusher's onboard belt scale, which weighs the material as it is produced, so you pay for exactly what comes off the machine rather than an estimate.
- Which areas do you cover?
- South-East Queensland including Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba, and throughout New South Wales including Sydney, Western Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle.