Is asphalt a sustainable material?
A. Clearly, it is. In addition to its recyclability, which conserves precious natural resources, asphalt provides long-life solutions for pavement construction. Some asphalt pavements reduce noise pollution and alleviate other environmental concerns. And, while annual production of asphalt paving material has increased by more than 250 percent over the past 40 years, emissions from asphalt plants have dropped by 97 percent or more. Some additional points to consider: • Asphalt is not soluble or harmful in a water environment. It has been used successfully for many years in fish hatcheries, reservoirs of drinking water for human consumption, and other environmental protection applications. • Asphalt prevents pollution from getting into water supplies and protects against disease from waste materials. It can be combined with aggregate to form a voidless and impermeable layer. Asphalt pavements are effective liners and caps for landfills. • Many states have tested discarded asphalt paveme
