| Recycled roofing record for North America |
Photo courtesy EPDM Roofing Association The EPDM Roofing Association's recycling program is available in many Canadian provinces for the reuse of EPDM roof membranes. More than 464,515 m2 (5 million sf) of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) membrane has been given new life in the continent's largest commercial roofing recycling program. The EPDM Roofing Association (ERA) has an ongoing program where it has recycled about 566,990 kg (1.25 million lb) of membrane, which has been diverted from landfills in the past three years. According to the ERA website, in 2006 the association initiated a research project to determine the possibility of recycling EPDM. In phase one, it concluded it was possible to remove EPDM from roofs to create a product from recycled membrane. By the end of 2007, nearly 304,800 m (1 million ft) of EPDM was removed and reused. The material was detached from roofs with loose-laid membranes enclosed by ballast or mechanically fastened systems, then transported to a grinding facility. George Evanko, ERA communications director, told Construction Canada Online that architects and designers could consider EPDM recyclability in their plans for construction of a commercial building. "Including a plan for recycling EPDM in the specs for either a new construction or re-roofing project is a smart decision," Evanko said. "It will enable all concerned to plan ahead to recycle the roof components and take the necessary steps to do so. This means hiring contractors who possess some experience in recycling or have a desire to recycle materials, providing a pallet or other storage compartment for the materials onsite, and proceeding with the proper plan to recycle the roof material, which usually means washing down the roof before disassembling it, setting aside the material, and arranging for transportation to a grinder."
The EPDM recycling program is active in several provinces across Canada, including: It is available for low-slope ballasted and mechanically attached non-reinforced EPDM membrane tear-offs.
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