Asphalt Shingle Recycling Firm Hopes to Open New Facility in Michigan

Crutchall Resource Recycling, which recycles asphalt shingles into a valuable raw material, hopes to open its sixth facility in Michigan within the next 30 days.

The company, which has plants in Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Warren, and Lansing, hopes to open the new plant in Egelston Township, Mich. The company, which opened its first plant early last year, hopes to process around 50,000 tons of asphalt shingles this year. The company could handle even more, although the sluggish economy is reducing the supply of shingles.

Jim Herrmann, environmental compliance director for Crutchall, said that the company has scheduled a meeting with township officials on May 12, and, if everything goes according to plan, the facility could be up and running within 30 days.

Herrmann adds that the company is very particular about the material coming through their door, and does not accept material that is deemed a waste.

A big challenge for the company is convincing people that the company is not a salvage, waste or even a recycling facility. While the new plant is located in a heavy industrial region, it will be used mostly for storing shingles. When the facility gets enough volume, the company will have a mobile grinder process the shingles, which can then be sold to asphalt mix companies.

These companies can blend up to 5 percent of the asphalt to make the new asphalt, which can become a big savings for the company, as well as reduce disposal costs for the generator of the material. He notes that using the company can cut shingle disposal costs by as much as 40 percent, while saving money for asphalt firms.