Shingle Recycling Committee Corner

Our recent committee meeting focused on the different end uses and processing techniques for recycled asphalt shingles, and also offered the opportunity for members to share their thoughts on what the future priorities of the committee should be. Potential future projects were shared, including an annual update of an existing C&D Report on state requirements for RAS, a Best Practices document for the management and processing of recycled asphalt shingles, and the development of an official opinion on how best to deal with asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral once widely used in building materials that has since raised health concerns in recent decades.

Chair Dan Horton and the committee discussed the importance of developing a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) resource for roofing shingle recycling. The focus of an LCA would be on the recycling of <3/8” RAS. Members of the project team from Innovative Technical Solutions (ITS), including Dr. Malak Anshassi and Dr. Nicole Robey, presented a proposal for an eventual multi-phase LCA project and outlined its scope, timeline, and budget. Developing the LCA would be the primary goal of the first phase, with the development of alternative end-of-life management during the second phase and recommendations for adjustments to the WARM model in the third phase.

Key to the project’s success will be achieving an understanding of the quality of asphalt recovered and the added binders needed to meet market specifications. And it is anticipated that the National Asphalt Paving Association (NAPA) could benefit from the generation of data for their Eco-Label supplier library as part of this project. Mr. Amlan Mukherjee, Senior Director of Sustainability and Intelligent Construction at NAPA added that several states are already asking NAPA members for Environmental Product Declaration information as part of the procurement process. It was noted that coordination between stakeholders is important and that the Chair and Executive Director would reconnect with both NAPA and the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) before the next meeting.

Incidentally, members of the ITS team have authored the recent release of Construction and Demolition Debris, part of the Springer Waste Management Principles and Practice series. We hope you will join us for our next committee meeting on June 10th.