You might be surprised to learn that asphalt pavement is a ‘green’ paving solution. No, we aren’t just jumping on the St. Patrick’s Day bandwagon; asphalt pavement really is an environmentally friendly, green paving solution that provides many benefits to the local flora, fauna and water table.
Wolf Paving is proud to offer many ‘green’ paving solutions to meet you residential or municipal paving needs. In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, take a look at some of the ‘green’ benefits of asphalt.
- Asphalt Pavement is 100% Recyclable
Asphalt is one of the most-recycled products in the United States. In fact, asphalt can be reused over and over, with very little loss, simply through re-heating. Each year roughly 100 million tons of asphalt pavement material is reclaimed. Of that 100 million tons, about 95 percent of asphalt pavement is reused in roads and highways.
Wolf Paving recycles 100% of the asphalt they remove from job sites, plus accepts recyclable material from other contractors, saving these materials from landfills and greatly reducing the natural resources needed to produce brand-new asphalt. We also recycle waste oil and asphalt shingles and turn these materials into new asphalt pavement. Recycling helps us produce over 30 different custom mixes of asphalt for a broad range of project types. - Porous Asphalt Supports The Water Table
Porous asphalt allows water to run through it, eliminating significant water runoff and returning water to the local water table. In fact, porous asphalt can infiltrate as much as 70-80% of annual rainfall, often purifying the water as is passes through the surface, reducing particulates that drain into rivers and streams after storms. - Asphalt Shingles Can Be Repurposed
Recycled asphalt shingles can be crushed and used for many economical purposes, including:
- Cold patch for pothole repairs.
- Additive in new asphalt shingles
- An ingredient in porous asphalt that allows water to soak into the ground.
- Aggregate for the roadway base over which pavement is laid.
- Perpetual Pavement Offers Minimal Environmental Impact
Major road construction disrupts traffic, the surrounding roadways and can often disrupt local wildlife. Large projects require heavy equipment to be used and stored in the construction zone and this can tear up the natural landscape on either side of a roadway. To reduce the environmental impact associated with roadway construction, perpetual pavement is a great, green option.
Perpetual pavement is a flexible but strong asphalt pavement that doesn't exhibit structural damage even with very high traffic volume over long periods of time. Made up of multiple layers of durable asphalt, this pavement solution can last for up to 20 years with minimal maintenance and most of the pavement surface will never get replaced. In fact, only the top layer is maintained, vastly reducing construction time and environmental disruptions. - It Helps To Choose A ‘Green’ Contractor
When you hire a construction crew or paving team to clean up a work site or prepare a location to lay down new asphalt, consider hiring a company that recycles its own materials. Not all of them do, but those who do are both realizing cost-savings on their own projects while directly helping to ensure the damage done to the environment by construction work is minimal.
Did you know just how ‘green’ asphalt pavement was? Enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and don’t forget these ‘green’ facts about asphalt pavement!
For more information on Wolf Paving or to request a free quote for your next paving project contact one of our two offices. If you live or work in the Milwaukee area, call us at 262-965-2121. For the Madison area, call us at 608-249-7931. We have been in business for more than 70 years.
