Asphalt: The #1 Recycled Material in the Country

When you think of heavily recycled materials, you probably think instantly of aluminum cans, plastics, and paper. Did you know though that asphalt pavement is actually the #1 most recycled product in the U.S. according to the EPA and Federal Highway Administration? Asphalt pavement is indeed an eco-friendly, sustainable paving solution. The statistics and facts showing the prevalence of asphalt recycling are astounding.

Stats Related to Asphalt Recycling

1. Asphalt pavement is recycled and reused at a rate of over 99%.
2. A wide variety of waste materials can be incorporated into asphalt pavements. Rubber tires, glass, slags, certain types of sand, and even pig manure can be found in modern asphalt paving mixtures.
3. Research continues to show record-high levels of recycled materials in asphalt construction.
4. According to research, approximately 66,700,000 million tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement and 1,200,000 tons of reclaimed asphalt shingles were collected in the United States alone in 2011 to be used in new pavements.
5. Reclaiming and reusing asphalt shingles for asphalt paving has increased by 52.5% since 2009.
6. More than 74,200,000 tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement and nearly 2,000,000 tons of reclaimed asphalt shingles were used in 2015. This saved taxpayers over $2.6 billion in the construction of new U.S. pavements.
7. The use of reclaimed asphalt shingles has increased by 175% since 2009.
8. Fifty million cubic yards of landfill space are saved every year by using recycled materials in today’s asphalt pavement.

Asphalt Industry Continues to Innovate to Boost Recycling Efforts 

The asphalt paving industry of today is incredibly innovative in meeting the needs of a cleaner and greener tomorrow. Aside from recycling tons upon tons of materials annually in their asphalt solutions, the industry has pioneered warm-mix technology that allows for further energy saving during production and construction.

Michigan Paving & Materials is Dedicate to Sustainability

Michigan Paving & Materials is dedicated to being concerned for the environment in all our business practices. We are green leaders in the asphalt industry. We alone recycle over 1,000,000 tons of old asphalt pavement to reuse in our company mixes. We strive to create a better world for our neighbors in every community we interact. We take our responsibility to operate in ethical and sustainable ways seriously. Our company has been giving back to the community since 1959. If you are interest in learning more about our environmentally-friendly asphalt paving solutions, feel free to contact us today. Our customer care team is more than happy to work with you on your next project and answer any questions you might have.