Recycling award given to MoDOT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri State Recycling Program recently gave its Recycling Award to MoDOT for the organization's environmental contributions. The award was presented by Gov. Matt Blunt.

Since 2003, the Missouri Department of Transportation has used more than 83,000 car tires in its construction projects and enough recycled shingles to roof 305 houses. Over that time, the agency has recycled more than 3.6 billion pounds of waste material that otherwise would have wound up in landfills.

Fly ash, cement kiln dust, mine chat and boiler and steel slag -- all manufacturing by-products -- are other waste materials the agency uses when building highways.

In addition, MoDOT crews remove more than 80,000 car tires that are left on state highways annually. These tires are ground up and used as fuel for power plants, replacing coal used for electric power.

MoDOT has also increased its use of recycled asphalt pavement, asphalt that has already been used as a road or parking lot and taken up to make way for a new surface. Last year, the department used more than three million tons of asphalt containing recycled material on 1,020 miles of highway, 50 times the amount used in 2003.

"We'll use just about everything but the kitchen sink in our highway construction if it means protecting the environment and providing a quality project on time and within budget," said MoDOT director Pete Rahn.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133