Several states are recycling roofing shingles to help pave the roads. Using asphalt mixed with recycled roofing shingles cuts the waste in landfills and saves paving contractors’ money. 27,000 pounds of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions are avoided on a typical paving project by using 5% shingles in place of virgin asphalt binder.
Asphalt shingles constitute nearly 2/3 of the roofing markets. A roof replacement can generate 2-5 pounds per square foot of waste. 240,000 tons of asphalt shingles are sent to Colorado landfills each year and 276,000 tons of roofing shingles are dumped into Missouri landfills each year. EPA estimates 7-10 million tons of shingle tear off waste and installation scrap and with more than 60 manufacturing plants across US generating another 750,000 to 1 million tons of manufacturing shingle scrap waste per year.
With the “Roofs to Roads Colorado program” Denver based contractor Brannan Sand and Gravel and Erie based contractor Asphalt Specialties, are using recycled shingles to replace part of the need for new materials for paving roads. Boulder County plans to use shingles to pave part of Cherryvale Road later this summer and several other projects for 2011.
Currently, almost all recycled asphalt shingles are used in paving. 16 states currently have shingle recycling operations and/or state DOT specs allowing recycled shingles, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NH, NJ, OH, PA, WA. Check with your local roofers or the EPA for a list of recycling facilities.
