The roof over your head…..the one that is shingled and takes the brunt of rain, wind, snow, hail.  Your roof needs some love and care once in a while, and whether you choose to take on the project yourself, or have a professional roofing company come and do the work for you there is still the question of what happens to all of those shingles.

One of the biggest problems faced when re shingling your house is the simple disposal of the old, worn shingles.  It may come as a surprise to know that for every 10 foot by 10 foot area on your roof, the shingles weigh about 225-250 pounds.  Disposing of those shingles in the dump is costly, and oddly enough, it is a waste!  At least thats what the folks at “Shingle Recycling” seem to think.

Shingle recycling has become a popular way of creating asphalt alternatives as well as several other road repair alternatives.  Using old shingles as an asphalt alternative results in reduced demand on aggregates.  Cold patching with recycled shingles has proven to last longer than conventional methods.  On dirt roads, shingles can be ground up and mixed with gravel to reduce dust caused by vehicle travel.  Old shingles can be turned new again as well!  Studies have shown that old shingles can be used at a rate of about 20% in the mixture of new shingles without hindering quality or longevity of the new shingles.

If you are planning on re shingling your home, you may wish to explore what information is available at http://www.shinglerecycling.org/.  Ask your contractor, if that is the route you take, what they will be doing with the old shingles.  Maybe they are unaware of these options.