It’s widely understood that asphalt roads that are made using coal tar are pretty far from being environmentally friendly. With more and more governments around the world, including in the UK, looking at ways to mitigate climate change and move towards a circular economy, this is certainly an area that could do with some attention.

An article for Highways Magazine recently explained why it’s so important to look at how we can resurface roads using recycled materials rather than virgin ones.

The news provider noted that the two main components of asphalt are distilled crude oil and mineral aggregate. In the UK, these resources are “finite and in short supply”. It added that quarries in the UK are finding it difficult to keep up with the demand for virgin aggregate, while the price of oil is continuing to rise.

That means that it’s getting more expensive to resurface roads, which is one very good reason to look at the use of more recycled materials.

Of course, there are positive environmental benefits to using a greater proportion of recycled materials for road surfaces too. It’s not only the fact that these resources have been taken from the earth, but that they have also had to be refined, processed and, in many cases, transported long distances.

All of this makes the case for recycled materials being used in road surfaces all the more compelling.

Minster Group told the publication that it currently produces road surfaces that are comprised of 50 per cent recycled material, but that they have ambitions of making this 90 per cent.

It’s not as difficult as it might seem to recycle old road surfaces, the company explained. Although anything containing coal tar is classed as hazardous by the Environment Agency, this substance is still required to create road surfaces. However, one of the simplest and best ways to recycle this material is to use it as a base layer for a new road.

If old road surfaces are recycled in this way, it could significantly reduce the requirement for virgin materials. What’s more, the publication pointed out that the recycled materials can be reused again and again, which means that, over time, more of the country’s roads could be surfaced in a much more sustainable way.

On-Site Magazine noted that the trend for repurposing asphalt paving is also catching on in the US and Canada, where a growing number of municipalities are utilising reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP).

The publication explained that not only does using RAP reduce the need for virgin material in road surfaces, but it also significantly reduces the amount of waste aggregate being sent to landfill each year. Both of these outcomes are certainly positive.

Another reason why RAP is gaining traction on the other side of the Atlantic is the cost benefits it offers. Mark Eby, director of Infrastructure Services with the County of Brant in south western Ontario, said that even using just a small proportion of recycled aggregate makes it much cheaper than using full virgin stock.

“There’s a cost to load [recycled pavement material], get it back to the plant and process it, but that cost is less than what it is to mine and purchase new aggregate,” he asserted.

Mr Eby has been instrumental in encouraging greater use of RAP first in Wellington County and then Brant. He drafted a new procurement specification for each municipality, guided by the Ontario Provincial Standards Specifications. Initially, this allowed for underlying layers of roads to have 20 per cent recycled material, and surface layers to have ten per cent recycled material.

However, this has since been increased to be 20 per cent for surface layers and 40 per cent for underlying layers of road surfaces.

It isn’t only road surfaces that could benefit from having a greater amount of recycled material in them. Pavements can also be made from recycled materials, as an article for Popular Mechanics recently pointed out.

The news provider shared the findings of researchers from a group of universities and companies that are part of a project called SAFERUP. This stands for sustainable, accessible, safe, resilient and smart urban pavements.

The basic concept is to use material from recycled tyres to create pavement surfaces. These would not only be more environmentally friendly, but also be safer for people who suffer from falls as the surface is bouncier and more forgiving than tarmac.

It found that the pavement surface could be created from 60 per cent recycled tyre material, with this mixed in with the traditional blend of rocks and tar that is used to create pavements currently. By replacing over half of the hard components of the pavement surface with shredded rubber tyres, it provides a bit more give.

The publication cited figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which show that falls are the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional injury and death around the world.

According to the organisations that are part of SAFERUP, having a more forgiving pavement surface could mean that more of these falls are survivable rather than fatal, particularly among those in the over 65 age group.

The researchers also pointed out that by making pavements more forgiving, it also makes it safer for the likes of cyclists who are also vulnerable to sustaining fall injuries.

In the short term, the SAFERUP project stated that its intention is to train “a new generation of pavers and other workers who will install and monitor these surfaces”.

The news provider also noted that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in the US has been conducting a research project to ascertain the safety of the chemical makeup of paving made from recycled tyres.

So far, the CPSC has revealed that its work has not indicated that there is any chemical danger or evidence of health problems as a result of using recycled tyres for this purpose.

Of course, in order for any materials, whether they’re old tyres or aggregate materials, to be recycled and reused, you need the correct equipment to process them and make them suitable for reuse.

If you work in the construction or infrastructure sector, you may find that you need to hire a heavy duty crusher to ensure that material like aggregate can be processed into the right format to be reused in other projects.