Roof Shingle Recycling
The EPA estimates 11 million tons of asphalt shingle wast are generated in the U.S. each year. About 10 million tons comes from roof installations and tear-offs and the remaining 1 million tons are scraps from the asphalt shingle manufactures. Every ton of shingles that is recycled instead of sent to landfills is equivalent to saving one barrel of oil form use, according to the Northeast Recycling Council. Clearly, diverting asphalt shingles away from landfills can have a significant and positive environmental impact.
Most recycled asphalt shingles are ultimately reused in road construction or maintenance. State-level Department of Transportation (DOT) offices have the authority to specify whether recycled asphalt shingles can be used in state-funded road projects, and many DOT offices have granted permission. Use of recycled asphalt shingles in road construction is said to increase asphalt stiffness and decrease cracking and rutting, resulting in longer-lasting roads. According to the National Asphalt Pavement Association, nearly 950,000 tons of recycled asphalt shingles were used in asphalt pavement mixtures during 2017, which was a 32.1 percent decrease from the previous year. The decrease highlights the need for more asphalt shingle recycling facilities. Sometimes it can be hard for contractors to find a company that recycles asphalt shingles especially in rural areas.
Here At Robert Evans Jr. Contracting Inc. we recycle all of our ashpalt shingles tear-offs and scraps at Conigliaro Industry in Framingham Mass. to help stay environmentally friendly.