Asphalt pavement is recycled at a greater rate than any other household or construction material -- well over 99% of asphalt pavement reclaimed from old roads and parking lots is put back to use in building new roads.
To best understand the use of recycled materials in asphalt pavement mixtures, the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) annually survey the industry about its use of reclaimed/recycled materials and warm-mix asphalt technologies.
Every asphalt mix producer in the United States is asked to participate in this annual survey by April 30. The confidential survey is gathering information about their use of these materials during the 2015 construction season.
“We know asphalt is the most sustainable paving option, and recycled materials and warm-mix asphalt technologies are critical to the industry’s sustainable future. We need your help in benchmarking the industry’s progress in putting sustainable practices into use,” stated Kent Hansen, NAPA Director of Engineering, who is administering the survey.
NAPA and FHWA have tracked usage of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), recycled asphalt shingles (RAS), and warm-mix asphalt (WMA) since the 2009 construction season. The results from the 2014 construction season were released last November and showed that nearly 114 million tons — about a third of all asphalt pavement mixtures produced that year — used WMA technologies.
From 2009 to 2014, this survey has documented increasing uses of RAP and RAS; starting in 2012, it began tracking the use of other recycled and reclaimed materials, including ground tire rubber and slags. Nearly 83 million tons of recycled material was used in asphalt pavement mixtures during 2014. The full results of the 2014 survey are available at www.AsphaltPavement.org/recycling.
All asphalt mix producers may participate in the confidential survey by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2015RMWMASurvey. The deadline for responses is April 30. It is recommended that respondents download a printed version of the survey from http://goaspha.lt/2015NAPA-FHWASurvey to ensure that all relevant data is on hand before beginning the process. Survey participants will receive a complimentary copy of the report once it is released.
Data from the survey is kept completely confidential and is only used for the purposes of determining quantities. Data is reported at the state level only if three or more companies from the state or territory participate, and no company-specific information is disclosed or used for any purpose.
Because the data are aggregated by state, companies or branches active in more than one state need to complete a separate questionnaire for the mixes produced for each state. If a plant provides mix for more than one state, the tonnage should be divided accordingly.
Responses from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories are desired for the 2015 survey.
Survey results will be shared with the industry, and agencies to help in the implementation of recycling and warm-mix technologies, as well as to broaden public understanding of the sustainable nature of asphalt pavements.
