Concrete and Asphalt Recycling

Asphalt concrete is often touted as being 100% recyclable. Very little asphalt concrete — less than 1 percent, according to a 2010 survey by the Federal Highway Administrationand the National Asphalt Pavement Association — is actually disposed of in landfills.[8]

There is asphalt recycling on a large scale (known as in-place asphalt recycling or asphalt recycling performed at a hot mix plant) and asphalt recycling on a smaller scale. For small scale asphalt recycling, the user separates asphalt material into three different categories:

1. Blacktop cookies - Chunks of virgin (new), un-compacted hot mix asphalt. New asphalt is by far the easiest material to recycle because it is low in density and will reflect heat well. To make "Blacktop Cookies", simply tailgate or strike off your waste new asphalt material to a thickness of 6" to 12". Allow the material to totally cool to ambient temperature then break into pieces with a backhoe or loader bucket.
2. Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) - Chunks of compacted hot mix asphalt that have been removed from the street when repairing a water main or gas line, replacing manholes or catch basins or generally making "full depth" pavement repairs is commonly referred to as RAP. Because it has been compacted, RAP is a denser material and therefore typically takes a little longer to recycle.
3. Asphalt millings - Golf ball size pieces of asphalt produced by mechanically grinding asphalt surfaces are commonly referred to as asphalt millings. Larger millings that have a rich, black tint indicating a high bituminous content are best. Surface millings vs. full depth millings are recommended. Full depth millings will contain sub-base contaminants such as dirt, sand and gravel. Asphalt milled from asphalt vs. asphalt milled from concrete is recommended because the Portland dust that is created when milling from concrete is not compatible with bituminous products. Avoid very small pieces and asphalt dust.^[