Asphalt Shingle Recycling

Have you seen the amount of waste in dumpsters when a roof is removed for replacement?  At B&T Roofing Ltd., we're committed to doing as much as possible to limit our impact on the environment.  From recycling in the office to using haulers who recycle asphalt shingles, we want to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible.

While B&T Roofing Ltd. also installs metal roofs and rubber roofs, asphalt shingles make up the majority of the roofing materials we apply.  Recycled asphalt shingles can be:

  • Added into hot mix asphalt for use in paving permanent roads
  • Mixed with aggregate to form a base under new roads
  • Used as road patch repair
  • Applied to temporary, rural or gravel roads, parking lots, driveways, construction sites, farm lanes, paths and trails for dust and noise control

 

Recycled asphalt shingles enhance paving solutions
No one expects recycled cardboard to form the basis for fine writing paper.  After all, when materials are recycled, their quality typically goes down, rather than up.  Asphalt shingles are an exception to this rule.  Recycled asphalt shingles actually improve the life of the pavement into which they're mixed.  As part of the pavement, recycled asphalt material will:
  • Increase pavement lifespan
  • Reduce fatigue cracking
  • Increase pavement resistance to wear and moisture
  • Decrease asphalt road rutting

If and when production of new shingles incorporates the use of recycled asphalt, the process will become more economical, perhaps even reducing the price of new asphalt shingles.

While the most significant benefit of asphalt shingle recycling is saved space in landfills, recycling asphalt shingles into pavement materials also reduces our dependence on virgin liquid asphalt (a petroleum-based product) and new aggregate.

 

Recycling process simple, streamlined
 
  1. Shingles are removed from a roof and placed into a dumpster.
  2. Haulers transport shingles to recycling facility.
  3. Debris, such as nails and other metals, paper and plastics are removed from the shingles.
  4. Shingles are processed by a grinder, operated by landfill staff, into pieces from 1/4" to 2-1/2", depending on the intended future use.

Helpful Links (open in a new window)
Asphalt Pavement Alliance, Asphalt pavements are America’s most recycled product

Flexible Pavements of Ohio, Sustainable Construction Using Asphalt Pavement

Ohio Department of Transportation PowerPoint Presentation, Andy Eline, February, 2009, Making the Most