Dive summary:
- A recent survey done by the National Asphalt Pavement Association found that levels of recycled asphalt reached a record high in 2011.
- During the year, 66.7 million tons of asphalt and 1.2 million tons of reclaimed asphalt shingles were collected for recycling.
- By recycling the materials, taxpayers saved approximately $2.2 billion, even more for the 19% of asphalt that was made using warm-mix technologies, which use less energy.
From the article:
"Asphalt pavements are the sustainable option for paving our nations' roads and highways," said NAPA 2013 Chairman and President John Keating in a statement. "With warm mix, we can use less energy to produce high-quality pavements, and [reclaimed asphalt pavement] and [reclaimed asphalt shingles] allow us to reuse liquid asphalt, saving costs and preserving natural resources."
Warm-mix asphalt technologies allow pavement to be produced at lower temperatures, which in turn reduces energy demands and emission levels during production and paving. The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement and reclaimed asphalt shingles during the 2011 paving season translated to savings of approximately $2.2 billion for taxpayers, NAPA reported. ...