Recycled asphalt is commonly used in highway paving in order to keep costs down and reduce waste. When a road is in poor condition, paving contractors can mill away the top layer of asphalt, send it to a recycling facility to be processed and then pave over the road again using the same asphalt they took off of it. This is possible because asphalt recycles very well — most of the asphalt mix is made of mineral aggregates that don't break down, so they can be reused indefinitely.
In addition to being used to pave highways, you can also use recycled asphalt to pave your home's driveway. To learn about the advantages and disadvantages of using recycled asphalt, read on.
Advantages of Using Recycled Asphalt for Your Driveway
The primary benefit of using recycled asphalt is that it's good for the environment. Asphalt is everywhere, including parking lots, roads, driveways, and roofing shingles, and it doesn't biodegrade. If it goes to a landfill, the asphalt will take up space forever. It's important to keep asphalt out of landfills, and using recycled asphalt for your driveway is a way of doing so.
Another benefit of using recycled asphalt of your driveway is that it costs less than new asphalt. It's less expensive to crush and process old asphalt than it is to mine aggregate to create a new asphalt mix, so you'll be able to save money on your new driveway by choosing to use recycled asphalt.
Disadvantages of Using Recycled Asphalt for Your Driveway
One disadvantage of recycled asphalt for your driveway is that it won't have the same deep black color as a freshly-paved driveway. Since it's recycled, the asphalt has already been exposed to the elements for a considerable amount of time. It will already look somewhat weathered as soon as it has been installed. If you desire the deep black color, you'll need to use new asphalt for your driveway.
Recycled asphalt also doesn't stand up to freezing temperatures as well as new asphalt. Recycled asphalt is slightly more brittle, so it's more likely to crack when the ground underneath your driveway freezes and expands during the winter. However, the fact that recycled asphalt is more brittle doesn't affect its ability to stand up to vehicle traffic on your driveway.
Should you pave your driveway with recycled asphalt? If you want a deep black color for your driveway or if you live in an area where the soil regularly freezes, then new asphalt is usually the better choice. On the other hand, the lower cost of recycled asphalt and the fact that it keeps asphalt waste out of landfills makes it a very attractive option in warmer climates.
If you're having trouble deciding, call a residential paving contractor in your area. They'll be able to tell you if recycled asphalt is a good option based on the weather where you live, and you can also ask for pictures of a newly-paved recycled asphalt driveway to help you determine if the color difference is acceptable to you.
For more information, contact a company like New England Paving.
Share4 March 2022
Paving contractors spend all day laying the pavement. We figured that the least we could do was write about it! In other words, we plan on laying the pavement of information. Yes, that sounds a little cheesy, but sometimes it's okay to sound cheesy when talking about something as serious as pavement. We caught your attention, didn't we? Now that we've caught your attention, allow us to share a little more about this blog. It will feature articles about paving and pavement contractors, and we plan on providing a lot of different information and perspectives as we go. You're welcome to join us!