Recycling asphalt offers some significant benefits, and because the material is so durable, it can be reused many times with only an additive to recondition the mixture. Using asphalt millings allows paving contractors to grind the surface of a parking lot or road deck and use the materials they remove as new hot mix asphalt, saving time and money on the project with a single asphalt recycling machine.

Asphalt Recycling

Asphalt recycling starts with asphalt millings or material ground off existing asphalt. The millings can be made onsite with a grinding machine or produced in a plant from large pieces of asphalt ground down then stored for later use.

When made on site, a large grinding machine removes the top layer of asphalt off the road or parking lot, then grinds it into small pieces. The material can then be reheated to produce a high-quality hot mix asphalt using an asphalt recycling machine.

Some large milling machines also incorporated a recycler in the machine. The process starts with grinding the asphalt and then running it directly through the asphalt recycling machine and out the back to a waiting paver. Since the material never needs to be moved from one place to another, the time savings and cost reduction are significant. 

No new asphalt needs to be produced during this process. The only additives required are water and bitumen to bring the millings back to a better quality mix than many premixes available on the market. 

Small Batch Recycling

Another option commonly used for smaller projects is small-batch asphalt recycling for patching roads and making minor repairs. A smaller asphalt recycling machine is used to make each batch of material, so it may not be practical for larger parking lots of road use, but when you only need a few yards of material at a time, the recycling machine will be able to produce what you need.

Most small asphalt recycling machines can be used on a job site or moved to another location if needed, and the required additives are available in sizes that allow you to add them to the batch precisely so that the mix is always correct coming out of the recycler. While these smaller recycling machines still require you to have asphalt millings available, you can purchase millings if you need them from asphalt suppliers for significantly less than premixed asphalt. 

For a town or county maintenance department that needs hot mix asphalt for small projects, buying the millings and renting a small asphalt recycling machine could be far cheaper than purchasing premix or hiring a contractor to do the work for you.