Commercial roof recycling 101

By Emma Peterson. 

How commercial roof recycling programs benefit both contractors and the environment. 

In a new Read Listen Watch® (RLW) webinar, Heidi J. Ellsworth hosted Ashley Horner, Chris Kann and Richard Garrison for a conversation about the process of recycling commercial roofing materials. Richardis the vice president of operations at Nationwide Foam Recycling, a company focused on “finding recycling pathways for materials that are commonly not recycled.” He opened the webinar by explaining how they developed a recycling program for the roofing industry, sharing, “The Boston Globe called us up one day because we recycled Styrofoam cups, and they said, ‘We have all this Styrofoam insulation coming off our roof, can you recycle it?’ And we, of course, said yes and one thing led to the next and suddenly roofers were contacting us from all over the country. Today, we do jobs in all 50 states.” 

Part of what helped them grow their roofer-user base was partnerships with manufacturers like Versico Roofing Systems. Chris, a product manager at Versico for specialty systems and sustainability talked about this, saying, “We provide roofing systems for all over the U.S., and we were always looking for a partner that could help us with recycling. Keeping things out of landfills the right thing to do, but it also helps us reach our company's sustainability goals. And so, when we found Nationwide Foam Recycling, it was a natural partnership.” 

Today, Chris’ team at Versico not only connects contractors to Nationwide Foam Recycling, but they also offer rebate programs that encourage the use of the recycling program. The result? Contractors like Ashley, Morrison Roofing Company’s vice president, have incorporated recycling into their day-to-day operations. Ashley shared a bit about the experience of working with this program: 

It's been great. During the pre-construction phase, we send an initiate service form to Nationwide Foam Recycling. Then, as we start tearing off the old roof, our crews identify the recyclable polyiso insulation and the single-ply membrane right as it's being removed from the deck. We separate it cleanly on-site, load it straight into some designated pallets or rolls and then Nationwide Foam’s team comes and takes it away for us.  

By using this recycling program, Ashley’s team is able to feel good about diverting thousands of square feet of commercial roofing material from landfills, and they also are left with far less dumpster management. As Ashley put it, “Instead of having material hanging out of a dumpster, you have things neatly stacked so your jobsite stays cleaner. When it comes time for hauling debris away, you’re also paying less in landfill fees because you’re sending less.”  

A sense of pride in your work and removing waste from the landfill are just the beginning of the benefits for contractors participating in commercial roof recycling programs.  

To learn about more of the benefits, Listen to the whole podcast or Watch the recording!