Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Recycled Asphalt Pavement Is a Win Win!

Did you know that the asphalt you drive on is 100% recyclable and that asphalt is one of the most recycled materials in North America? Asphalt is recycled more than aluminum, paper or plastic!

RAP - recycled asphalt pavement has been around longer than you might think. When North America was hit with high oil costs during the 1970's, RAP was introduced to save costs. It makes sense! If you can re-use a material and reclaim it's value why not do it?

RAP is located on-site at hot mix asphalt plants and there is no need to transport in new materials. This aspect alone greatly reduces the CO2 emissions as no fuel is burned for extraction and transportation of new materials.

Over the past 30 years, millions of tonnes of RAP have been put into hot mix asphalt pavements.  In Ontario, 2.3 million tonnes of RAP was used in 2010.

When does asphalt pavement become RAP? When a road reaches its typical service life of 25 years, the asphalt is milled off and becomes RAP. RAP contains both aggregate and asphalt cement.

The Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association lists the following benefits for using RAP.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING RAP?

Using RAP is a win-win scenario. It is good for the tax payer, good for the environment and is good
for the quality of our roadway infrastructure.
Using RAP:

  1. Reduces road building costs by significantly reducing the need for virgin material.
  2. Saves and reuses precious, non-renewable aggregate and petroleum resources. Reduces the CO2 generated by the extraction and transportation of virgin aggregates and asphalt cement.
  3. Keeps large volumes of materials out of already overloaded landfills.
  4. Ensures a premium quality aggregate supply for paving projects.
  5. Significantly contributes to provincial and municipal recycling obligations.
  6. When we pave with asphalt, we put aggregate and asphalt cement in the “bank” for the benefit of future generations.
If you're interested in learning more about RAP, recycled asphalt pavement - give us a call to discuss your options.

With over 30 years of experience serving the Barrie and Simcoe area, Road Readie Paving has built a reputation second to none. If you are needing asphalt for you next construction project, call Road Readie Paving for a free quote. 705-719-0074

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