You’ve done your research and hired a reputable roofing company to repair or replace your roof. Now you can sit back and watch the installation of your new roof take place worry free. But if you’re one of the millions of earth-conscious individuals, as you observe your roofing company’s contractors go about their job, you might be wondering, ‘What happens to all those old roofing shingles that are falling to the ground?’
Well, if your roof is made of asphalt shingles, there’s some eco-friendly good new for you. Those shingles can be recycled into asphalt that can be used to build and repair the roads you drive on every day. According to a recent special to the Daily Graphic, “The upkeep of roads and [the] mass production of asphalt is believed to have a carbon footprint comparable to that of the oil industry.” As a result, the manufacturing process can wreak havoc on the environment. That’s because 94 percent of the roads in the United States are surfaced with asphalt.
But what if that asphalt didn’t have to be made from scratch and could be obtained from asphalt that’s already in existence? That’s where your roofing company and your old roof shingles can make a real difference. A new initiative, dubbed Roofs to Roads, is embracing the recycling of roofing shingles. Roofing companies that make use of this recycling program significantly “reduce their impact on landfills from old shingles.” And that green friendliness is likely to be even more measurable than if first appears when you consider that the average roof is made up of two to three layers of asphalt.
Does your roofing company participate in an asphalt recycling program? It never hurts to ask. You may be bringing an environmentally friendly practice to their attention that they weren’t even aware of. But if you’re selecting a roofing company on the basis of their recycling efforts, buyer beware: Be sure to unearth whether the costs of transporting the old shingles to a recycling center are being absorbed by the roofing company and are not being passed on to you, the customer. Because only the actual shingles and nails can be recycled, sometimes extra work is required of your roofing contractors.
Hopefully one day soon, shingle recycling will become mandatory. In the meantime, a new form of legislation is also being considered that affects new roof seekers. According to WAFF 48 News out of Montgomery, Best Asphalt Shingles 2018 Alabama, “The National Center for the Prevention of Home Improvement Fraud (NCPHIF) is awaiting the signature of Governor Bob Riley” on a Senate bill that could stop home improvement fraud.
Roofing company scams are one of the biggest home improvement fraud offenders, with unscrupulous practices like charging for work that is not actually performed and taking deposits on a roof repair and then skipping town running rampant in storm-damaged communities these days.
“The elderly are [particularly being targeted by some roofing companies. There is little to no damage on their roofs, but company representatives are claiming they need a new roof.” NCPHIF urges homeowners to scrutinize roofing companies before signing on the dotted line by:
Never jumping into a contract.
Obtaining business cards and performing due Box Profile Roofing Sheets diligent research on the roofing company.
Getting an estimate in writing.
Avoiding roofing “companies that emphasize that insurance will pay for a new roof.”
Asking their “insurance company [to] investigate the track record [of] the roofing company.”