3 Surprising Ways We Recycle Concrete and Asphalt

Paving is probably the last industry you think of when someone says “green technology”, but at Espina Paving, recycling is normal. During every job where we remove older layers of asphalt or concrete, we crush up and re-use 100% of those materials in other ways. Not only does this drastically reduce impact on local landfills, it also saves us a lot of money, which means you save money—and, of course, the earth breathes a little easier too. Here’s just a few of the ways that Espina Paving recycles:

1. Asphalt Recycling

We mill and remove old asphalt from roads and parking lots, then use it to make even stronger, new asphalt. Our machines grind the old mixture as we mill it off of the ground. This crushed material is then used in new asphalt mixtures at our plant. We don’t throw any of it away. And it’s just as durable after it’s remixed as it was when it was originally new.

2. Concrete Recycling

Whenever we need to remove old concrete from a job, we repurpose 100 percent of the old concrete in other projects as well. We crush it into various states of gravel that we can then use as a strong, stable sub-base for new asphalt installations. Really, we don’t like to waste anything.

3. Other Things Espina Paving Recycles

Another way that we lessen the impact of industrial waste on the environment is by reusing and repurposing several other things. Here are just two:

• Old roofing shingles—Roofing shingles use the same type of asphalt oil that we use in the process of creating a new asphalt mixture. Many local builders and roofers know they can bring us old shingles and we have machines that grind and process them so that we can use the asphalt oil for making new parking lots and roads. All of those shingles get reused – not put into a landfill somewhere.
• Waste oil—If it can be reused, we reuse it. We also accept leftover waste oil from many other projects around the community and use it in our manufacturing processes to reduce its negative impact on the local environment.

These environmentally-friendly practices we use definitely save us money; we try to make the best use of all the materials we have while reusing what we can with new technologies to make stronger stuff out of recycled materials. And when we save money, we pass those savings on to our clients. It’s great for everyone involved: you, our company, and our local environment!

We also have several other green technologies in paving that you may be interested in for your next paving project. Contact Espina Paving today at (703) 491-9100 to find out more about how we can install paving that can actually improve your environment while lasting for years to come!