In the past, we here in Southern California would merely throw stuff away without much concern as to how it affected the environment. Construction debris became one of the main issues facing landfills over the years. To solve this issue more and more areas are making recycling programs, and a roof recycling program alone helps a lot.
Various older roofs are being recycled all over the world. Some kinds of roofing materials are also being recycled and reused on other buildings.
Ancient tile roofs are usually recycled and reused in the greater Los Angeles area. Old Spanish tile shingles can be salvaged and reused on other roofs as a way to save cash. These tiles are removed from old roofs and taken to another place where they are inspected and sorted. Tiles that can be reused are then cleansed and treated. After that they are repackaged and resold for use on other structures.
It is not simply Spanish tiles that are used in a roof recycling program. Just about all other kinds of roofing materials can be reused as well.
Asphalt roofing materials are used on over 80% of all dwellings in Southern California, and these shingles make up the majority of the area’s landfill dilemmas. With an asphalt roof recycling program these shingles are hauled off and used for stuff like asphalt pavement, aggregate base and sub-base, and even fuel oil.
It is estimated that the U.S. generates over 11 million tons on asphalt shingle waste every year. Of that waste 10 million tons of it is from homes that have needed to be re-roofed. California by itself adds 1.2 million tons of asphalt shingle waste per year. There is no way for Californians landfills to accommodate that much asphalt waste without future issues.
Anyone thinking of a re-roofing project should check to see what type of a roof recycling program is available in their area.
