If you have ever watched a road crew removing an asphalt roadway, you may have wondered what happened to the old asphalt. Some people worry that it ends up in a landfill, and although asphalt does not leach harmful chemicals into the soil or water, it would take up a lot of room if it were simply discarded. However, asphalt is 100 percent recyclable, and virtually all old asphalt is reclaimed and finds a new life.
Each year, almost 81 million tons of asphalt is recycled in the United States alone, making it the nation’s most recycled product in terms of volume. By comparison, the second-most recycled material, scrap steel, accounts for approximately 70 million recycled tons annually, and only 3.3 million tons of concrete pavement gets recycled. Aluminum cans, glass bottles and plastic containers — all items that people often perceive as highly recycled — account for approximately 4.2 million recycled tons combined.
The uses for recycled asphalt are many, and in theory, asphalt could be recycled repeatedly and indefinitely. Much of the old asphalt is reprocessed into new paving material. Some of it is crushed or ground to be used as embankment foundations or roadway bases.
Recycled asphalt is by no means inferior to “virgin” asphalt. In addition, the reclamation process is so friendly to the environment that many state transportation agencies and municipal public works agencies require all contractors to include a certain proportion of reclaimed asphalt in paving projects.
MH Greeson Paving is family owned and operated, and we share the concerns that many of our customers have about the need to “go green” and protect the environment. We know the advantages that asphalt pavement offers, both environmentally and financially. We offer a full range of services, including asphalt repair, parking lot striping and asphalt sealcoating. Although we are based in Marietta, we provide services for the entire Atlanta metropolitan area and beyond. Contact us today for a free quote or call us at 770.335.2983.
