Not only is asphalt the best paving option due to its smooth qualities that provide a quiet ride and comfort ability, but recycled asphalt paving is also one of the greenest options out there. In the early 90’s, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Highway Administration identified asphalt as America’s Number 1 recycled product in a report to Congress. But what makes Asphalt Paving so green?
Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP)
Recycled asphalts, also known as Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), can contain a wide range of recycled materials including ground up old tire rubber, recycled glass, plastics, wood, newspaper, and sometimes even pig manure. In recent years however, the most popular recycled material used in asphalt has been recycled asphalt shingles (RAS).
Using Recycled Asphalt Shingles (RAS) in Paving
Virginia has been in a constant battle to utilize waste material in paving projects over the past couple decades. In the 1990s, Virginia Senate Bill 469 asked the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to form a “Recycled Materials in Highway Construction Advisory Committee” to recommend options for utilizing recycled materials in the construction of roads and highways. The committee recommended the use of recycled asphalt roofing in recycled asphalt paving resulting in a draft for specification of the material in 1999.
Asphalt shingles eligible for recycled asphalt paving include tear-offs removed from buildings or homes or scraps from manufacturing waste. The use of recycled asphalt shingles not only results in better use of recycled materials for asphalt mixtures, but it also allows for savings of approximately $2.75 per ton of asphalt.
$2.75 per ton?! Doesn’t sound like much, right? The average driveway is 10-12 feet wide and 6 inches deep. At those measurements, 1 ton of asphalt mix will only give you 2 feet of driveway. If your driveway is more than 50 feet long, you’re going to be saving at least $60. That’s more than a dollar a foot! It sounds like a lot more savings once you work out the numbers, doesn’t it?