Missouri Department of Transportation recycles 2,400 tons of debris in 2017

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), Jefferson City, Missouri, says it is recycling materials to stretch available resources to counter rising material and labor costs.

Last year, MoDOT saved taxpayers $17.5 million by using recycled components like roof shingles and recycled pavement in 3.2 million tons of new asphalt pavement.

“The $17.5 million savings is equivalent to improving more than 384 miles of two-lane roadway with a thin overlay,” Jonathan Varner, MoDOT intermediate materials specialist, says.

Over the past five years, MoDOT has used 4.2 million tons of recycled material in hot-mix asphalt roadway projects. Additionally, in 2017, MoDOT used 31,000 tons of recycled concrete, steel, aluminum and timber.

Recycling efforts in MoDOT’s internal operations also saves money and cuts down on the volume in Missouri landfills, the department says. MoDOT recycled 2,455 tons of materials in 2017, up 333 tons from 2016. Most of that tonnage came from scrap metal and scrap tires.

“There is a cost to recycle some items,” Varner says. “But there is a cash return from the recycling of other materials.” The net revenue gain to MoDOT in 2017 was $282,000.

More information about MoDOT’s recycling efforts can be found at www.modot.org/beinggreen/documents/recyclingfacts.pdf.