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Recycling Shingles Makes Good Business
The construction industry predicts shortages of many materials to make products and at the top of the list is aggregates that go into concrete and asphalt. Cost of materials, such as oil, have risen to prices that may be out of the range of what contractors want to pay.
Today, I was invited by Dem-Con, a business whose major operation is a landfill for demolition and construction debris, to see its new operation. Owners of this business decided to go into recycling asphalt shingles when they saw the amount of shingles in their landfill. They sorted the debris and took out the asphalt shingles, bought a Rotochopper which grinds the shingles, and sorts piles according to types. In addition, they take manufacturers' overruns that also go through the Rotochopper.
According to a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency official, in Minnesota, about 340,000 tons of used asphalt shingles are taken to dumps every year. Jason Haus, an owner of Dem-Con, said the industry has to start conserving and recycling shingles to save on cost of materials and time to make shingles, space, and provide jobs.
The Rotochopper can turn out ground shingles in seconds after they're fed into a bin. A large magnet at the other end of the Rotochopper removes nails and other metals that may be in the shingles after they're ground. Several bins catch and hold different types of ground shingles according to the materials composed in the shingles.
Minnesota Department of Transportation officials said they wanted to see the results of new asphalt produced with the recycled shingles. Although some asphalt road projects have used recycled shingles, Minnesota could build more roads using recycled shingles. More commercial and residential projects use recycled shingles in the asphalt mix. The maximum amount of recycled shingles is about 5% of the entire asphalt mix, according to contractors. Otherwise, the mix is too stiff for roads and will crack easily.
The MnDOT official said the agency wants to wait for test results before making the commitment to use the new mix on more roads. "How long will that take?" I asked. About 10 years to see the condition of these roads, he said.
Let's not wait that long to see how many landfills have to be created, material costs to rise, and enviromental policies that can't be met. The construction industry can work together with users, the DOT, research facilities and high-tech suppliers to find a solution.
Recycling Shingles Makes Good Business
October 22, 2008
The construction industry predicts shortages of many materials to make products and at the top of the list is aggregates that go into concrete and asphalt. Cost of materials, such as oil, have risen to prices that may be out of the range of what contractors want to pay.Today, I was invited by Dem-Con, a business whose major operation is a landfill for demolition and construction debris, to see its new operation. Owners of this business decided to go into recycling asphalt shingles when they saw the amount of shingles in their landfill. They sorted the debris and took out the asphalt shingles, bought a Rotochopper which grinds the shingles, and sorts piles according to types. In addition, they take manufacturers' overruns that also go through the Rotochopper.
According to a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency official, in Minnesota, about 340,000 tons of used asphalt shingles are taken to dumps every year. Jason Haus, an owner of Dem-Con, said the industry has to start conserving and recycling shingles to save on cost of materials and time to make shingles, space, and provide jobs.
The Rotochopper can turn out ground shingles in seconds after they're fed into a bin. A large magnet at the other end of the Rotochopper removes nails and other metals that may be in the shingles after they're ground. Several bins catch and hold different types of ground shingles according to the materials composed in the shingles.
Minnesota Department of Transportation officials said they wanted to see the results of new asphalt produced with the recycled shingles. Although some asphalt road projects have used recycled shingles, Minnesota could build more roads using recycled shingles. More commercial and residential projects use recycled shingles in the asphalt mix. The maximum amount of recycled shingles is about 5% of the entire asphalt mix, according to contractors. Otherwise, the mix is too stiff for roads and will crack easily.
The MnDOT official said the agency wants to wait for test results before making the commitment to use the new mix on more roads. "How long will that take?" I asked. About 10 years to see the condition of these roads, he said.
Let's not wait that long to see how many landfills have to be created, material costs to rise, and enviromental policies that can't be met. The construction industry can work together with users, the DOT, research facilities and high-tech suppliers to find a solution.
Posted by Ivy Chang on October 22, 2008 | Comments (0)
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