SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Asphalt shingles are a common roofing material - and a common waste in home repair projects. In fact, every year 10 million tons of shingles are torn off roofs in the U.S., and some estimates say shingles may account for up to 5 percent of total annual building-related waste. Owens Corning (NYSE: OC), a leading global producer of residential and commercial building materials and an industry leader in shingles recycling, and Earth911, Inc., host of the largest and most accurate recycling directory in the U.S., have partnered to help raise awareness about the environmental opportunities that shingles recycling presents and encourage more homeowners and contractors to get involved. Recycling shingles has a number of benefits: • Every recycled roof is comparable to recycling more than 100 percent of a year’s worth of household waste. • When recycled, a typical roof can yield about 200 feet of a two-lane highway. • One ton of recycled shingles yields the equivalent of one barrel of oil. • Asphalt shingles constitute 67 percent of the U.S. roofing market, so they present a significant recycling opportunity. • Recycling shingles and producing pavement more efficiently saves money and energy on virgin materials as well as preserves natural resources. Earth911.com now hosts a new Shingles Recycling page with expert-level resources to address crucial shingles recycling know-how. Earth911 and Owens Corning will also develop stories utilizing facts, tips and ideas to help readers improve their knowledge about shingles recycling. Owens Corning Roofing and Asphalt LLC is the first roofing manufacturer to establish a program for recycling shingles. Since the program began in 2009, more than 100,000 tons of shingles, or over 1000 miles of paved roads, have been recycled. Contractors can take the Preferred Contractor Shingle Recycling Pledge, connecting contractors with convenient recycling facilities. Currently there are 43 major cities with drop-off locations for shingles recycling, and the network is expanding to more locations across the U.S. Recently, the Shingle Recycling Pledge was also expanded to homeowners, who can commit to using only contractors who recycle shingles to make their own home repair projects more sustainable.
