Many commercial roofs are replaced before they’ve reached their expiration date. This practice not only impacts the bottom line, but it also significantly impacts the planet. According to GreenRoofs.com, roofing is one of the top four construction and demolition materials disposed of in the highest amounts in US landfills. It often makes up nearly 20% of landfill construction and demolition waste, partly because there are so few options for diversion or recovery.
Most building codes limit the number of roofing systems allowed on a building. For example, in Ohio, facilities cannot have more than two roofing systems. Removing one or both layers is required before installing a new roof, which can create tons of waste.
Let’s take this example a step further. A 12,000 sq. ft. building with 3 to 5 inches of roofing material to remove would need at least ten dumpsters. Each holds about 10,000 pounds of waste. That’s a total of 100,000 pounds of roofing waste going to a landfill—not even including waste from the new materials.
Now let’s say the existing roof is in decent condition and has no wet insulation. A roof restoration or coating can cost a fraction of a full tear-off and results in minimal waste. Most roof restorations come with long-term warranty protection, sometimes up to twenty years. Many restored roofs can even be restored again in the future, making them a completely sustainable option. That’s one of the many benefits of choosing sustainable commercial roofing or eco-friendly roofing over traditional tear-offs and replacements.
