Businesses are always looking for ways to save money. The best way for asphalt companies to save money is to recycle asphalt shingles and asphalt pavement. In 2019 alone, 24 million barrels of asphalt binder was conserved because of the recycling of asphalt shingles and asphalt pavement. (NAPA, 2020)
Recycling asphalt has a variety of benefits for both the asphalt company and the consumer – Environmental and Economic.
Environmental Benefits:
- Recycling old asphalt reduces the amount of new oil needed and may reduce dependence on foreign oil.
- Recycling saves on construction material waste since the recycled material is not sent to a landfill.
- Recycling the mineral particles that are produced during the process of asphalt pavement helps conserve natural resources.
Economic Benefits:
- Taxpayers save money through the recycling of asphalt.
- Contractors save by reducing energy, materials, and transportation costs.
- Asphalt can be recycled multiple times, ensuring its value.
Using recycled asphalt shingles has several benefits in the production of Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA). By reusing asphalt from shingles, asphalt manufacturers can reduce costs and improve the quality of their asphalt pavement. Using recycled shingles provides a source of aggregate, which reduces the need for mined aggregate. The quality of the pavement is improved in that there is a stronger cracking resistance and rutting because of the added minerals fillers and organic fibers used in shingles. Other benefits include:
- Reduced demand for new asphalt pavement
- Reduced demand on aggregate
- Improved HMA mixes
Recycled Asphalt Shingles (RAS) can be used for a variety of different asphalt based materials. Rural roads can be covered in gravel that is mixed with the RAS. Using this material minimizes the amount of dust produced and reduces the amount of gravel lost. RAS can also be used as a temporary surface for roads, driveways, or parking lots.
Read Asphalt Pavement - America’s Most Recycled Material to learn more about recycled asphalt and how Wolf Paving takes advantage of its benefits. For more information, contact the experts at Wolf Paving.
