July 22nd, 2011 
Tushar Mathur Millions of people are doing what they can to help the environment by recycling different products. Whether its glass bottles, cardboard boxes or newspapers, many are contributing in their own small way to help conserve the planet and the resources that we have. With all the different forms of recycling and reusing products, it’s even easier than ever to look after the environment.
Many people don’t think about it, but it is actually possible to recycle asphalt pavement and other construction materials! A lot of the waste which is poured into landfills and dumps each year is made up of construction materials such as pavement and concrete. Apart from helping the planet, you can also save money buying recycling pavement.
By using recycled material for new construction, you can earn credits from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Their Green Building Rating System is a system where credits can be earned for using SCS-certified products and participating in other things such as water efficiency and recycling.
Rather than sending all your unwanted concrete, asphalt and granite to the waste stream and landfills, you can transport them to recycling companies that will crush them and re-use them for other projects. It is very quick and easy to do this, and many construction professionals find it easier to get rid of their unwanted materials by recycling rather than dumping them.
Broken asphalt can be turned into hot mix asphalt and cold mix asphalt. Between 20% and 100% of this turns into materials which can be used again. Roofing shingles are turned into hot mix asphalt, cold mix asphalt and dust suppression mix. All of the products which are made from roof shingles are 100% recyclable. Crusher run, stone, screenings, and surge stone can be produced from demolition concrete and excavated shot rock. Lots of different materials are reusable and so can be put to good use constructing other properties and buildings.
As you can see, it pays to recycle your old building products rather than filling up landfills with all the waste. Lots of people feel that they are wasting materials by simply dumping them, and so would much rather know that they have recycled old construction materials that are being put to good use. Not only are there great benefits that can be gotten from recycling pavement and other materials, you will also feel great knowing that you have helped the planet in some way or another.
The following is a Guest Post by Dykes Paving, an Atlanta Paving Company specializing in asphalt construction & recycling.
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