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Owens Corning Sets up Shingle Recycling System
Owens Corning, a building materials manufacturer based in Toledo, Ohio, has announced through its roofing business that it will provide a new program that simplifies asphalt shingles recycling for its preferred roofing contractors. The company says it has connected contractors with recycling facilities through a national strategic alliance.
Based on a pilot program conducted in Indiana, Owens Corning will roll out the program nationally, starting in the Midwest. As part of the program, contractors pledge to recycle their shingle tear-offs. In addition to keeping shingle waste out of landfills, contractors benefit by promoting sustainable business practices to homeowners.
"While the technology exists to recycle asphalt shingles, we are making it efficient and cost-effective for our contractors," says Sheree Bargabos, president of Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt LLC. "This program makes recycling easy, and provides our contractor network with an opportunity to clearly differentiate themselves by providing a complete roofing system including a sustainable end-of-life recycling option for old shingles."
Owens Corning is working with Heritage Environmental Services, the largest privately-held environmental services company in the United States. Heritage will provide dedicated, convenient drop-off centers that will recycle and process shingle tear-offs.
"Millions of tons of asphalt roofing shingles are sent to landfills every year, wasting valuable resources such as asphalt and aggregate," says Bill McDaniel, president and chief executive officer, Heritage Environmental Services LLC. "With the combined efforts of Heritage and Owens Corning, material that would have been wasted will now be reused and made into roads."
According to a company press release, recycling glass-based asphalt shingles is a cost-effective alternative to producing new asphalt and helps preserve resources. Last year the Asphalt Institute estimated that the asphalt from recycled shingles has a potential value of more than $1 billion, which is variable upon the price of asphalt.
"At Owens Corning, we are constantly seeking solutions that carry economic, environmental and social benefits. This new program is the perfect example of carefully considered product life-cycle management, from conception of design and manufacture to durable service and end-of-life recycling," says Owens Corning Chief Sustainability Officer Frank O'Brien-Bernini. "We are proud to be the first roofing manufacturer to help create an infrastructure to increase shingle recycling and material reuse across the country."
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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