When a concrete pool is demolished, it produces 15-40 tonnes of broken concrete rubble, one of the most significant material outputs of any residential demolition project. The good news: concrete rubble is one of the most recyclable construction materials in existence. In the Hunter region, the majority of concrete pool demolition rubble is processed at concrete recycling facilities and turned into road base aggregate, it doesn’t simply go to landfill.
This guide explains what happens to concrete rubble from pool demolition in NSW, how the material is handled, and what questions to ask your contractor about waste management.
Volume of Concrete in a Pool
A standard residential concrete pool in Newcastle or Lake Macquarie has:
- Shell thickness: 150-250mm for main walls and floor (older pools may be thicker)
- Floor area: 50-80sqm for a standard pool
- Total concrete volume: Approximately 8-20 cubic metres
- Concrete density: ~2,400 kg/m³ (2.4 tonnes per cubic metre)
- Total weight of concrete rubble: Approximately 20-48 tonnes
For a standard 60sqm pool with 200mm walls and floor, expect roughly 25-35 tonnes of broken concrete. This is typically loaded into two to four large tipper trucks for transport to a recycling facility.
Where Does the Rubble Go?
Concrete Recycling Facilities
Most concrete pool rubble in the Hunter region is taken to concrete recycling facilities, either dedicated recyclers or facilities at construction waste transfer stations. These facilities:
- Crush the concrete using jaw crushers and impact crushers to produce aggregate in various sizes
- Remove ferrous metal (steel reinforcement) with magnetic separators
- Screen the material into different grades (0-20mm, 20-40mm, etc.)
- Produce recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), used primarily as road base
The steel reinforcement extracted in this process goes to scrap metal dealers as a separate revenue stream for the recycler.
What Is RCA Used For?
Recycled concrete aggregate from demolished pools ends up in:
- Road base: Sub-base layers under roads and footpaths across the Hunter region. A significant percentage of road base in NSW is now recycled concrete aggregate.
- Drainage aggregate: Coarser grade RCA is used in drainage applications
- Construction fill: As engineered fill for civil projects
- Concrete production: Some RCA is used as a partial aggregate replacement in new concrete production (at lower percentages)
This is a genuine recycling outcome, the material from your old pool ends up in local infrastructure. It’s not landfill.
Facilities in the Hunter Region
Concrete recycling and waste transfer facilities operating in the Hunter region include operations in Tomago, Thornton, and Sandgate that accept concrete demolition material. Your pool removal contractor will typically have established relationships with these facilities and transport the rubble directly.
What About the Steel Reinforcement?
Concrete pools are reinforced with steel bar (rebar), typically 10mm or 12mm deformed bar in a grid pattern. When the concrete is crushed, this reinforcement is separated and sold as scrap steel.
Scrap steel prices fluctuate with commodity markets, but at typical scrap rates, the reinforcement from a pool might represent $100 to $400 in recovered value. Contractors generally retain this value as part of their economics rather than passing it back to the homeowner (and this is reflected in their overall pricing).
What Goes to Landfill?
Not everything from pool demolition is recyclable:
| Material | Recycling/Disposal |
|---|---|
| Concrete rubble | Recycled (crushed to RCA) |
| Steel reinforcement | Scrap metal recycling |
| Pool coping tiles | General waste / landfill |
| Grout and adhesive | General waste |
| PVC pipes | Some recyclers; often general waste |
| Pool equipment (pumps, filters) | Scrap metal + e-waste |
| Fibreglass pool shell | Primarily landfill |
| Asbestos-containing materials | Specialist licensed disposal |
The main landfill component from a concrete pool removal is the pool coping, tiling, and adhesive/grout, materials that can’t be efficiently separated from ceramic or adhesive residue. The concrete itself goes to recycling.
Asbestos-Containing Pool Materials
Older pools (pre-1985) occasionally contain asbestos-containing materials, typically in the form of fibrous cement sheeting used in equipment housings, pool hut structures, or older skimmer box components. Any asbestos-containing material must be handled by a licensed asbestos removalist and disposed of at a licensed asbestos disposal facility.
This is never general waste and never goes to a standard concrete recycler. See our guide on asbestos and old pool removal for the identification and management process.
Can Pool Rubble Be Reused On-Site?
In some circumstances, the crushed concrete rubble from pool demolition can be used on-site as fill material for the same excavation. This is a common practice in partial pool fill-ins, the broken pool shell provides the primary fill material, which is compacted in layers.
Using rubble on-site as fill:
- Reduces the amount of material to be removed from site (lower disposal cost)
- Reduces the need for imported fill material (lower materials cost)
- Is acceptable for non-structural fill applications (garden areas, non-building zones)
- May need supplementing with finer material for good compaction near the top of the fill
For areas where future building is planned (slabs, sheds, granny flats), on-site rubble fill may not be acceptable to the building certifier without a geotechnical engineer’s approval of the fill specification. Discuss with your contractor what the intended use of the fill area is before the rubble is used as backfill.
Environmental Obligations for Waste Disposal
Under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) and the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Act 2001 (NSW), construction waste must be disposed of at licensed facilities. Contractors cannot legally dump pool rubble at unlicensed locations, in bushland, or in waterways.
All legitimate pool removal contractors in the Hunter region will take rubble to licensed facilities. Ask for a waste disposal receipt (docket) from the disposal facility, this is a protection for you if there’s ever a question about where your pool waste ended up.
Be cautious of any contractor who quotes a very low price and can’t explain where the rubble goes. Illegal dumping of construction waste (known as “fly-tipping”) creates environmental harm and can result in the property owner being held liable if the material is traced back to the origin.
Can I Sell My Pool’s Rubble?
In theory, crushed concrete has value. In practice, the logistics of selling rubble from a single pool don’t usually work, the buyer needs bulk quantities, consistent grading, and typically wants the material delivered. The rubble from your pool goes to a facility that can process and grade it at scale, which is where the commercial value is captured.
However, if you have a large rural or semi-rural property in the Hunter Valley and need fill for a driveway or low-lying area, your contractor may be able to use some of the crushed rubble on your property as fill rather than trucking it off-site. This can reduce both disposal costs and fill import costs. Discuss this possibility with your contractor if it’s relevant to your situation.
Concrete Pool Rubble vs Fibreglass Pool Waste
| Factor | Concrete Rubble | Fibreglass Pool |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | High (20-40+ tonnes) | Low (0.5-2 tonnes shell) |
| Recyclability | High (crushed to RCA) | Low (primarily landfill) |
| Steel recovery | Yes (rebar) | No |
| Special handling | Asbestos check needed | Check for hazmat coatings |
| Typical disposal cost | Lower per tonne (recycling premium) | Higher per unit (landfill gate) |
Counterintuitively, the larger concrete pool has a better recycling outcome, its rubble is a genuinely recyclable commodity. The fibreglass shell, being lighter but a composite material difficult to separate, mostly ends up in landfill.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my contractor is disposing of pool rubble legally? Ask for a waste disposal receipt (docket) from the receiving facility. Legitimate concrete recyclers and transfer stations issue these. If your contractor can’t or won’t provide one, that’s a significant red flag.
Can I reuse the pool rubble in my own garden or driveway? Broken concrete rubble can be used as informal aggregate for driveways or under paving on private property in some circumstances. However, it’s large, irregular, and difficult to compact without crushing equipment. Crushed rubble from a recycling facility is a much better product for on-site use.
Is concrete pool rubble considered hazardous waste? No, ordinary concrete rubble is not classified as hazardous waste in NSW. The exception is if the pool contains asbestos-cement materials (pre-1985 pools in particular), which must be handled and disposed of separately by licensed operators.
Does the contractor keep the scrap metal value from my pool’s reinforcement? In most standard contracts, yes. The contractor’s quote reflects their cost to manage and dispose of all pool materials, and any recovered scrap value is part of their commercial calculation. This is standard practice and is reflected in the overall pricing.
How far does pool rubble typically travel to the recycling facility in the Hunter region? Most concrete recycling facilities serving the Hunter region are within 20-40km of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, at Tomago, Thornton, or similar locations. Truck travel time is typically 30-60 minutes each way. This affects project logistics and cost for very large pools that require many truck movements.
Want to understand what happens to your pool during and after removal? Contact Hunter Pool Removals for a transparent quote and process explanation, covering Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and the broader Hunter region.