300,000 Pounds of Polymer Roofing Tile Scraps Are Recycled Annually at DaVinci Roofscapes

The 45th anniversary of Earth Day in 2015 puts a shining spotlight on recycling efforts around the country—including at DaVinci Roofscapes in Kansas. That’s where more than 300,000 pounds of polymer roofing tile scraps are recycled each year.

“Most manufacturing operations have scrap materials,” says Bryan Ward, vice president of operations at DaVinci Roofscapes in Lenexa, Kan. “The difference here is that every roofing tile we create is 100 percent recyclable, so we are able to reuse every pound of scrap that comes off our production line into our roofing material’s starter shingles. This saves a significant amount of material from going to the landfill, along with making us an efficient, environmentally friendly operation.”

With more than 300,000 pounds of scrap recycled annually, DaVinci doesn’t stop there. The polymer slate and shake roofing manufacturer offers two recycling programs that provide a way for roofers to return scraps, cuttings and unused synthetic roofing material to the company’s facility for recycling.

Waste products from a job site can be returned to DaVinci’s Kansas plant for recycling (with shipping paid for by DaVinci within a 500-mile radius of the plant) and expired tiles (those older than 50 years old) can also be returned for recycling. Ward estimates that almost 5,000 pounds of product are returned from field projects each year for recycling.

Selecting polymer roofing tiles also helps save trees and energy. “Every time someone chooses a DaVinci roof instead of wood shakes, trees are saved—often young growth cedars that are difficult to harvest, produce low-quality shingles and further deplete our limited resources,” says Ward. “Natural slate roofs present other problems. The quarrying process consumes large amounts of labor and fuel and can be harmful to the local ecosystem. Up to 15 percent of natural slate tiles crack or break up during installation, so waste is significant. Because DaVinci tiles weigh one-third as much as natural slate of comparable thickness, transportation energy costs and carbon emissions are lower.

“Just as it’s important to us that all our sustainable roofing products are Made in America, it’s also vital that we keep our earth as clean and healthy as possible for future generations,” says Ward. “We’re a company that celebrates Earth Day every day of the year. By creating roofing products that meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process standards, we’re taking a step toward saving valuable resources.”

Be the first to comment on "300,000 Pounds of Polymer Roofing Tile Scraps Are Recycled Annually at DaVinci Roofscapes"

Leave a Reply