Raze the Roof

I was fortunate to be able to attend the 4th Asphalt Shingle Recycling Forum held in Chicago on November 5 and 6, 2009. After talking with the CMRA’s Executive Director William Turley a few weeks before the Forum, it became apparent that this show was receiving a tremendous amount of interest. Let’s just say that’s an understatement!

The Forum was attended by more than twice as many people as the third show held two years ago. The reason is simple. Recyclers and end-users realize that this material has value. With attendees ranging from academic researchers, to C&D recyclers, environmental consultants, equipment vendors, government DOTs, hot mix asphalt producers, asphalt paving companies, roofing contractors, shingle manufacturers, and shingle recyclers, there was no shortage of experts in the area of shingle recycling.
It’s not rocket science to figure that a material as simple as an asphalt shingle has components that can be re-used. The typical asphalt shingle is comprised of asphalt cement, felt, mineral granules, aggregates, mineral fillers and stabilizers. Depending on whether the shingles are organic or fiberglass, the percentages of the components will vary, but all of them can be recycled. States such as Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin already allow the use of Recycled Asphalt Shingle (RAS) tear offs to be used in roads. Each state has varying degrees of testing for materials such as asbestos, but the test results by and large have been coming out contaminant free. Sizing requirements will also vary from state to state and each of them allows only a certain percentage of the RAS material to be used. The point is, this RAS product is starting to become more accepted around the country and many other states are looking to adopt policies that will use this valuable material.
During the first day of the Forum each of the attendees were directed to different roundtable discussions that were based on where they were located in the country. People exchanged ideas about how they collected, processed and found marketplaces for the recycled materials. It should come as no surprise that regulations were vastly different from state to state and that was an area that most wanted to see be more synergistic. Why one state’s success was not being duplicated in an adjacent state was still a source of frustration to many. All agreed that more of the states that were having success using these products needed to find ways to share this information with others. Many in groups that I listened to were even surprised at the wealth of information that was already on the CMRA’s Web site, www.shinglerecycling.org. On the site you can find links to everything from state experiences, economics, markets, environmental regulations, worker safety, current research and industry events, just to name a few. I would encourage all that are interested in recycling this valuable resource to spend a few minutes on the site and see what opportunities exist for you and your company. This is exactly what the CMRA is all about.
Vendors at the show also had the opportunity to share with interested parties their ways to recycle asphalt shingles and turn the end products into materials that were sought after by hot mix asphalt plants as well as other new value added products. Speakers gave us an up to date picture of where RAS recycling stands at the present time. Benefits of using shingles in road construction, the value of RAS in hot mix asphalt, operating shingle recycling facilities, ongoing research and alternate end uses were all discussed during the forum. Comments were taken from all the groups during the roundtable discussions and were summarized for all to contemplate at the end of the Forum.
For those who have been in the C&D recycling business for a while you can tell when a material is about to “take off” and be recognized for the intrinsic value that it possesses. It is at this point that the entrepreneur sees this value and helps to bring it to market. I have had the occasion to tap my son Tommy’s head in such circumstances and he would say, “Hey what’s that for?” and I would inevitably respond, “That’s opportunity knocking Tommy, go after it.” This is such a material. For those of you that are skeptical I will leave you with the words of a pretty smart guy, Thomas Edison, “Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Any questions?
Besides serving as the president of the CMRA, Hixon is vice president of ERRCO C&D Recycling which is under the umbrella of LL&S Recycling, Gateway Metal Recycling, and DeVito Trucking with locations in Epping and Salem, N.H.

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