Many people do not realize that asphalt shingles can be recycled to create new shingles. This is particularly appealing to homeowners who are looking to do their part to help the environment by creating less waste. So how exactly does it work? If you are looking to learn about the evolution of asphalt shingles, you can do so by clicking here.
The process of recycling asphalt shingles is actually fairly simple. It starts when a roof is being replaced. When the old shingles come off, the roofing technician will ensure that the removed shingles are sorted into a separate bin that can be hauled to the recycle, rather than to landfills. This is the first step in recycling shingles. It is important that the shingles you wish to recycle do not mix with landfill materials as this will cause the recycling process to be delayed as humans have to sift through the materials to sort out what can and cannot be recycled. It is important to separate lumber and metal flashing materials. These materials can be stapled or glued to the shingle so it is important to separate the two to recycle the shingles.
Once the material makes its way to the recycling plant, the old shingles are ground into small particles which can then be used for a variety of other applications. There is currently a trend toward grinding the asphalt shingles into tiny granules. Sometimes this means that they have to use more than one grinding stage which makes the process longer and more costly. However, this can produce product that is more valuable because they can open up new markets for recycled materials. On the bright side, shingle recycling has become so popular that it is available in most every market in the United States.
So how are the recycled single particles used? The particles can be used numerous ways. You can use up to twenty percent of the recycled shingle granules in the production of new shingles without affecting their quality. The asphalt shingle particles can also be burned to produce fuel. This is very coon throughout Europe but it is not as popular in the United States. The granules are most commonly used for hot-mix asphalt, a cold patch, practicing dust control on rural roads, to create temporary roads or driveways, for an aggregate road base. The supple of the recycled shingle particles is on the rise so many industries are looking for new ways they can use this material since there is such an abundance of it.
As recycling asphalt shingles is becoming more popular, we’ve compiled a few do’s and don’t to keep in mind.
DO:
Find a recycler in your local area and check their business background to ensure they are a legitimate recycler.
Keep the shingles clean of other debris like wood and metal
Leave the nails embedded in the shingles as they will be pulled out during the recycling process
DON’T:
Leave recycling out of the sales discussion- this is something you can use for leverage
Assume the homeowner is not interested in recycling particles
Bring mixed loads to the recycling plant and assume they will be accepted.