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The Waste Biz: Using Pig Poop To Recycle Roofing Shingles

pigs

pigs

Pig poop isn’t something we’re running short on: according to Bio-Adhesive Alliance, Inc., the US alone produces 6 billion gallons of swine manure every year. That’s a lot of poop. It’s also a big source of a variety of environmental issues, including nitrogen pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Putting this material to use wouldn’t simply free up space, but lighten or eliminate this one impact of our bacon addiction.

The Alliance focuses on industrial applications for swine manure; one of them ties into shingle recycling (which we’ve found is another monster waste stream). What happens if you bring these waste materials together? Well, the Alliance claims that the two work well together as a paving mix. The EPA is intrigued by this idea, and has given the Alliance a $100,000 grant to develop and commercialize this product.

Does this mean smellier roads? No idea…  but I do know many of our 2 million miles of roadway need repair these days, so why not do it with materials that are otherwise going to waste.

Know more about the material science underlying this idea? Do share…

Also on the waste radar this week:

Does the food waste fight need a new PR strategy? Sherrell Dorsey at Triple Pundit thinks it does, and outlines her ideas for making the fight against food waste more palatable. The language we use to describe surplus food is critical to its perception.

How about turning food waste into ice cream? That could help with any public relations challenges! It could also add value to produce headed for the dumpster. A new study from the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and Cabrini College shows that processing that food into things like smoothie base, frozen deserts, or veggie chips eliminates the ugliness challenge, and creates products that grocers and consumers will pay more for.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

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