Dive Brief:

• The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Columbus, OH a grant totaling $156,775 to aid in the recycling of shingles that will be used in roadwork.
• The grant will go towards payment for the recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) that will become part of a hot asphalt mix used in 112 roads in Columbus.
• The grant will also be used to study the effectiveness of adding recycled shingles to different types of roads, as the city has never worked with this combination of materials before, while another portion of the funds will be used to determine if the materials can be used to repair roads.

Dive Insight:

The state EPA says that although the expense is greater to combine RAS with asphalt, the agency anticipates the cost to drop at some point. The grant will cover additional expenses incurred during the 2015 study phase. The city estimates it can potentially divert around 6,304 tons of shingles from landfills annually if the materials perform satisfactorily.