Activity 5.2 Shingle Mountain Case Study

 Define the Problem

The setup of the roofing shingles industry is setting the underprivileged up for more health problems. Shingles are good for about 10 to 30 years as found in recycled asphalt shingles website. I also found on another blog, environmental cost of shingles, that states that asphalt shingles do not break down for a good 300 to 400 years. there has to be a better way to manufacture something to keep our indoors safe and dry. It’s crazy that even at best, it is still not usable for over 100 times its usable lifetime.

Quality Waste Management in Chicago, IL: Tri-state disposal. statedisposal.com. (2022, May 18). Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://tri-statedisposal.com/ 

 Not only does it take forever for the environment to break down these asphalt shingles there is an environmental injustice. With the location of these factories, and then where they are disposed of. There is a news article over a pile of these asphalt shingles that was written in about 2020. I can only imagine the waste produced by these companies. For example, my neighborhood is military housing. There are approximately 300 homes in our neighborhood. About six months ago. Every single house in my neighborhood had a new roof installed with asphalt shingles. I had no control over when or how they were going to replace my roof Hot mix asphalt (HMA) method. About 300 homes worth Post-consumer [roofing] shingles. Remove shingles will now be slowly breaking down for the next 300 and 400 years. There Has to be a better way to replace screws or at least make these shingles last as long as they’re possibly allowed. Deed restrictions well, it would be a renting agreement for us, but we cannot replace major things such as a roof. 

Conduct Inquiry

According to Central roofing, asphalt shingles were invented around 1901. And have been mass produced since. According to the history of shingles before shingles were used, wooden slacks were used for roofing material. At least these would eventually break down. While, I have not personally seen any trends to encourage the use of asphalt shingles. I’m sure there has been some type of commercial advocating for the benefits of a shingle roof. I am assuming that the switch over to this non-biodegradable material would be to slow the aging of roofs, and stop leaking. Many people live in smaller neighborhoods that have either HOA or other types of neighborhood communities. Certain changes to buildings are not allowed without permission. To preserve the unity of the neighborhood.

Identify and Evaluate Alternative Solutions

 

What I really want to know is whether metal roofing is better for the environment. If so, we already have our solution. The only thing that stands in our way is the cost. Many people cannot afford to replace the roof or even repair it. In the article is metal roofing, environmentally friendly it mentions how metal roofing can be recycled even towards the end of its life. Not only does metal roofing give a better environmental outcome. They also last a lot longer as mentioned before asphalt shingle roofing lasts in between. 10 and 30 years, but metal roofing lasts between 40 and 70 years. This may not be the 300 and 400 that aftermarket shingles will continue to break down but it is much better to have 40 to 70 years in use and then being recycled. 

Present Conclusions

With the amount of missions, we are already putting into the sky and the amount of waste. We are constantly putting into the landfills not only by daily living, but also by construction projects. When they were replacing the roof, there was a ton of trash left behind not only from workers' lunches, but also from roofing screws. Living in a lower income area. Many people can’t afford to buy a new tire or whatever else may be damaged by the screws such as a vet bill. Honestly, it would be more cost-effective in the long run if a neighborhood such as mine looked into getting metal roofs instead of asphalt shingles just because of the longevity. They could even put it into their selling point of why to move into our neighborhood.

References

Bush, J. (2023, January 13). Environmental cost of asphalt shingles. Cornett Roofing Systems. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://cornettroofing.com/the-environmental-cost-of-asphalt-shingles/#:~:text=The%20environmental%20impact%20of%20putting,for%20other%20types%20of%20waste.

Central Roofing. (2023, March 22). The history of asphalt roofing shingles. Central Roofing. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.centralroofing.com/the-history-of-asphalt-roofing-shingles/#:~:text=Asphalt%20shingles%20were%20first%20used,11%20million%20were%20being%20produced.

Dedovic, A. (2022, January 6). The surprisingly interesting history of asphalt shingles: Stone Claims Group. Stone Claims. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://stoneclaims.com/the-surprisingly-interesting-history-of-asphalt-shingles/#:~:text=Believed%20to%20be%20developed%20by,fairly%20commonplace%20atop%20various%20shelters.

Environmental justice. State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General. (2022, December 12). Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://oag.ca.gov/environment/justice

Recycled asphalt shingles. Recycled Asphalt Shingles - MOST Policy Initiative. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://mostpolicyinitiative.org/science-note/recycled-asphalt-shingles/

Underwood, T. (2022, June 2). Are metal roofs environmentally friendly? #1 Stone-Coated Steel Metal Roofing. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.decra.com/blog/are-metal-roofs-environmentally-friendly