ERA Initiates Roofing Material Recycling Research

The EPDM Roofing Association (ERA), Alexandria, Va., has announced that a research project has been initiated to study the possible recycling of EPDM (ethylene propylene diene terpolymer) single-ply roofing material.

The project will be conducted jointly with the Firestone Building Products Co. and Carlisle SynTec Inc. and will provide data on the viability of recycling EPDM material, estimated costs of the recycling process and potential uses for the recycled material.

In the initial phase of the project, the ERA and its partner companies will select pilot locations for the program and will work with contractors and companies to remove, transport and recycle the material. Tests on the recycled EPDM material will be conducted to determine its viability as a recyclable product, either on its own or combined with other materials. This phase will begin in the summer of 2006.