First-of-its-kind recycled roof installed on East Tampa home

Without much fanfare or attention, workers last month installed a first-of-its-kind roof on an East Tampa home that could dramatically change the roofing industry and keep tons of shingles out of the nation's landfills.

Why it matters: Some 12 million tons of asphalt shingles end up in landfills each year, and they take 300 years to break down.

Driving the news: Standard Industries' GAF, North America's largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, installed its first recycled shingle roof on the home of a Tampa veteran in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County. It plans to re-roof 500 homes with a variety of non-profit partners this year.

• They'll make the shingles commercially available as well, priced the same as regular shingles.

Details: GAF's CEO Jim Schnepper tells us that the company has been working for years on reducing landfill waste and has finally developed a way to make shingles using 15% recycled material.

• The shingles weathered a rigorous battery of tests, such as for heat and wind resistance, proving that the recycled product holds up.
• "We'll hopefully be able to really lead the way with this," Schnepper said.

How it works: Old shingles are sorted, ground into powder and turned into briquettes at a facility in New York. Then that material is combined with new asphalt at GAF's Tampa factory to make new shingles.

• The shingle waste from just one roof can be used to produce enough recycled shingles for about 12 new roofs.

The goal: To divert 1 million tons of shingles from landfills by 2030.