National Recycling Coalition Congress: seeking alternatives.(COMMODITIES)

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* The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a goal to increase the national recycling rate from 30 to 35 percent by 2008. To reach that goal, recyclers are going to have to start looking to alternative outlets for recyclables and expand recycling of materials like construction and demolition debris, tires and industrial byproducts, according to Patricia Martinek of the Colorado Department of Transportation (DOT), who addressed attendees of a panel discussion entitled "Alternative Markets for Traditional Recyclable Materials," at the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) Congress & Expo held in Denver.

During her presentation, Martinek discussed a research project undertaken by the Colorado DOT that examined recycling possibilities for concrete and asphalt and reuse opportunities for those materials in road building and highway applications.

In the course of research, Martinek said the DOT found the state of Colorado used 290,068 tons of concrete in 2007 and recycled only 1,100 tons. The state used 260,125 tons of asphalt and recycled 45,000 tons. "We asked ourselves, 'Can we do better?'" Martinek said.

The report found that several states allow for the use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in the production of new asphalt, including the California Department of Transportation, which allows 25 to 50 percent RAP in hot mix designs. Martinek reported similar findings for other materials, including recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and tires, adding that Colorado Springs, Colo., has initiated a test of rubberized asphalt on local streets, using 6,200 tons in ...