Using Recycled Asphalt for Paving
If you’ve ever watched a construction crew dig up an old asphalt road, and then replace it with a new surface, you may have wondered what happened to that old asphalt. In the vast majority of cases, those large chunks of asphalt do not get disposed of in landfills, but are instead delivered to recycling plants so they can be repurposed and reused.
Recycled asphalt is very often used for the purpose of installing new driveways at homes, or for surfacing new parking lots around malls and retail outlets. Here are some of the reasons why recycled asphalt can be an excellent choice for your next paving project, or to install a newly paved surface around your home somewhere.
Affordability
This is in fact one of the most compelling advantages of using recycled asphalt, because it is way cheaper than using concrete, and it’s even less expensive than using brand-new asphalt for paving. That’s because it doesn’t require as many resources to repurpose asphalt as it does to create brand-new asphalt. When a producer is obliged to create virgin asphalt, it requires a great deal more labor, oil, and a lot more time to produce the brand-new asphalt. In fact, this is why it costs so much more to produce virgin asphalt than it does to recycle previously-used asphalt.
Environmentally friendly
One of the great things about asphalt is that it does not rot or decay after a period of time. In fact, that’s one reason why it never ends up in landfills, because it will not decay or disintegrate at those landfills, and it will retain its shape and form indefinitely. That means it’s much more useful to recycle asphalt, and this is much friendlier to the environment, since the product is put back into use for a new purpose. There are recycling plants all over the country which help to minimize the use of non-renewable resources by repurposing previously-used asphalt for new uses.
Excellent bonding qualities
Recycled asphalt retains all the tar that it originally was made with, and that means it will bond much better than any kind of loose driveway products which could be used. When recycled asphalt becomes wet and gets compacted, it bonds very easily, and can produce a semi-permanent driveway that will stay in place for quite a number of years. With an asphalt surface in place, dirt and dust will not have the opportunity to be whipped up into the atmosphere by local winds.
It allows for percolation
Using recycled asphalt is a great idea for regions of the country which typically get a lot of snow or rain. Recycled asphalt holds up very well during rainy seasons, and it tolerates the snows of winter well also. Because it allows water to pass right through it, it can help avoid flooding or any kind of water buildup which could be damaging to the driveway, or to nearby areas. When water is allowed to build up on any surface, it will pretty much always cause problems, and this can be avoided when using recycled asphalt, because it allows water to pass through it, rather than ponding on top of it.
Aesthetics
When you look at a driveway constructed of recycled asphalt, it will look very much like brand-new asphalt, and it will have the same dark black appeal. This gives it a very appealing look, and it also contrasts very well with the surrounding areas of your front yard, since the green of your grass and any shrubs will stand out nicely against the new black asphalt. If you apply a sealant to your recycled asphalt driveway every other year, it will retain that attractive look indefinitely, and it will also help to extend the life of your driveway for a number of years.
