COST AND ENERGY EFFECTIVENESS OF RECYCLING

There exists a wide diversity of opinion on the construction methods and equipment that are most suitable for recycling and the cost or energy effectiveness of asphalt pavement recycling. Some situations are encountered where conventional hot mix asphalt paving may be more economical than recycling. Cost and energy data are presented that indicate recycling can result in cost savings as much as 30 percent and energy savings ranging up to 50 percent. However, it appears that energy savings constitute less than 25 percent of the total cost savings. Key factors that affect cost, energy consumption, and overall effectiveness of recycling are discussed.