Roofing Insights:
7308 Aspen Ln N Ste 128, Brooklyn Park, Mn. 55428
November 23, 2021
Right now, there is a multifaceted issue that is growing larger and larger in the roofing industry. Asphalt shingles are a widely used product, and there isn’t a sustainable method of getting rid of them. They are not being recycled and reused regardless of the claims major manufacturers and recycling centers are stating. Dmitry Lipinskiy, the owner of Roofing Insights and 13 Investigates, is bringing immediate awareness to the problem and striving to look for a solution.
Roofing manufacturers and major players in the industry are brainwashing you and sweeping this problem under the rug. Most roofers are told that the technology to recycle asphalt shingles is available and can be used in our roadways. The reality is that 25% of our landfills are roofing materials. Dmitry Lipinskiy has traveled to over one hundred different locations researching this issue and has found that less than 5% of asphalt shingles are recycled. These statistics are a safe estimate, and it could be as low as 1-3%.
For example, the South Side Landfill in Indianapolis, Indiana, has seen 30 million pounds of shingles in just the last two years. Industry experts estimate this could take a staggering 300-400 years to decompose. 90% of roofers are under the impression that the shingles they dump are recycled and used to construct roadways. The landfill is the last place that these roofing materials should end up. It takes up a tremendous amount of space, and the materials could eventually leach into groundwater.
Following the trail looking for answers, Lipinskiy found himself in Celestine, Indiana. A construction salvage company works solely on recycling old shingles. These old shingles get ground up into a material that looks like black sand and then sold to paving companies. This recycling method used to be a lot more typical of practice, so why has this practice stopped?
There are a few reasons. It is challenging to recycle old shingles. Most recycling centers and facilities are looking for the shingles to be as clean as possible. The materials like tar paper, wood, and plastic have to be removed and cleaned before grinding up the asphalt shingles. These recycling centers have to do this, and it is very costly to do this.
Asphalt shingles are made with fiberglass. Fiberglass cannot be removed during the recycling process. You can only add 3-5% of this aggregate from the shingles on the roads before it diminishes the quality of asphalt roads. If you use more than these percentages, it causes potholes and cracks much quicker.
The main challenge is this is an expensive problem. Asphalt manufactures are already calling themselves the leaders in sustainability and have claimed that they are recycling already. The short of it is they are not. These manufacturers could pick up the mantle and champion this cause. They have the capital and the resources to be able to provide a significant impact and should.
Dmitry Lipinskiy wants to unify the roofing industry in a way it has never seen to help address this problem. From December 8th- December 10th, he will be holding a conference. He will deliver the 2021 state of the roofing industry report. This will be held at 9840 International Dr. Orlando, Florida. He encourages everyone who can to attend.
Dmitry Lipinskiy understands that this is a complex issue that doesnt have a clear alternative solution, and it is expensive. He does suggest an alternative that has the potential is to create separate landfills for roofing materials. Years from now, these alternative landfills could be mined, and these materials could be reused. But for now, manufacturers and recycling companies need to work together, and awareness needs to be spread.
Roofing Insights: A passion-driven company that is the voice of the roofing community.
Contact: (612) 380 5285 or go to https://roofinginsights.com/contact-us/ and email directly.
