More Than 500 Attendees and Nearly 55 Exhibitors Gathered in Dallas.
By Terri Ward
The Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) announced that C&D World 2025, held March 11-14 in Dallas, reached a new milestone with more than 500 attendees and nearly 55 exhibitors. The event brought together top executives and attendees from across the globe to share knowledge and identify solutions for challenges faced by construction and demolition (C&D) recyclers.
“We were thrilled with the record turnout at C&D World 2025,” said John Thomas, president of the association’s board. “We had attendees from nine countries and 38 states, illustrating the international interest in recycling construction materials and demolition debris, as well as the global importance of these activities.”
The event commenced with an open CDRA board meeting, featuring discussions on all aspects of the association’s operations, followed by a welcome reception sponsored by Arcosa Crushed Concrete.
The first full day of the conference kicked off with keynote speaker Susan Robinson, owner of Susan K. Robinson Consulting and a seasoned expert in sustainability and waste management, who sat down for an engaging conversation on the external pressures creating opportunities and presenting challenges for the recycling of mixed C&D materials and demolition debris.
Day one also included the CDRA Awards Presentation and Annual Meeting, as well as well-attended sessions focused on plant operations, sustainability trends and the latest in innovative technology solutions.
Day Two
‘The second day featured an executive panel on industry trends and challenges, sessions on fleet management strategies and the end market landscape, and panel discussions on gypsum recycling and concrete recycling.
The concrete recycling panel included Don Marsh, editor of Rock Products’ sister publication Concrete Products.
Each of these sessions provided important insights and meaningful conversations, further demonstrating the association’s commitment to addressing challenges, identifying solutions and shaping the future of C&D recycling.
An exclusive, sold-out tour of Big City Crushed Concrete’s flagship Dallas plant closed out the conference. The tour provided attendees with an up-close view of the processing operation and the various equipment processes used to manufacture DOT specification crushed concrete products.
C&D World highlighted innovation and actionable insights, setting a new standard for collaboration in the C&D recycling industry. CDRA looks forward to continuing its mission of fostering partnerships and advancing sustainable practices within the C&D recycling industry.
Save the date for C&D World 2026, Jan. 27-30, 2026, in Tampa.
Aggregates Recycling Committee
In the weeks after the convention, CDRA’s Aggregates Recycling Committee held an organizational meeting. The Aggregates Recycling Committee’s mission is to provide guidelines, and other assistance, as well as education, about optimizing operations and developing end markets for the recovery and recycling of aggregate materials from construction and demolition activities.
The committee will drive engaging conversations around operations and technologies available for maximizing efficiencies and recovery, and provide an educational setting to share best practices, lessons learned and aid businesses looking to further develop their aggregates recovery and recycling operations.
The meeting included a presentation by EcoMaterials on its Passyunk wash plant near Philadelphia. The operation’s CDE equipment will reclaim and repurpose sand, aggregate material and construction site waste.
Through an environmentally friendly wet process utilizing reclaimed stormwater, the plant cleans and sorts soil, regenerating more than 85% of inbound material for use in new asphalt and concrete products. At full capacity, EcoMaterials will divert up to 700,000 tons of material that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
Look for additional updates on the activities of the Aggregates Recycling Committee in future columns.
Terri Ward is Executive Director/CEO of the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association. She can be reached at [email protected] for questions about CDRA membership or participation in its aggregates recycling committee.