Pennsylvania House Approves Legislation to Study Use of Recycled Slate in Highway Projects

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed legislation that would request the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to conduct a study on the possibility of slate waste being used in highway construction projects. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Julie Harhart (R-Northampton/Lehigh) in an effort to search for viable ways to recycle the debris from the slate industry in Pennsylvania.

“Many other industrial waste products, such as rubber from scrap tires, fly ash and blast furnace slag, are used in highway construction, so why not the waste from the slate industry?” says Harhart. “Our local companies are proactively looking to partner with the state to reuse these materials in a productive and responsible way. A study will help to pinpoint just what uses may be most appropriate and possible.”

House Resolution 70 specifically requests PennDOT to conduct a study of the slate industry for the purpose of determining the feasibility of using recycled slate in projects associated with highway construction, concrete aggregate and drain fields, or as a skid-resistance aggregate.

“Due to the processes of manufacturing slate, there is waste that the companies are looking to dispose [of],” says Harhart. “The companies, seeking to be as responsible as possible with the byproduct of the industry, have been contacting me over the past several years to help facilitate having slate waste included in the various approved recyclable materials PennDOT uses for highway construction projects and other applications.”

Harhart continues, “I have been having discussions with PennDOT since 2005 on this issue and am relieved to finally have movement on legislation that could possibly help address the growing amount of slate waste in Pennsylvania.”

The legislation calls for PennDOT to report its findings to the General Assembly and the governor’s office within six months of adoption of the resolution. House Resolution 70 passed the House by a vote of 192-1.