What Happens to Old Shingles? Disposal and Recycling

Torn-off asphalt shingles go to one of two places: a landfill, or, where a recycler within reach accepts them, into asphalt pavement, which the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) reports is the main use for recycled shingles. On a contractor job, the quote should say which path your tear-off takes and who hauls it.

Debris is a scope line like any other. You can check before you sign whether a recycler near you takes tear-off, and you can get the disposal site named in writing.

Where Tear-Off Shingles Go

EPA counts asphalt shingles among construction and demolition materials. Its page on sustainable management of construction and demolition materials lists “Asphalt (from roads and roofing shingles)” and notes that asphalt, concrete and rubble “are often recycled into aggregate or new asphalt and concrete products.” Whether your shingles join that stream depends on local markets and on what a nearby facility will accept.

On a residential job, the debris follows one of these paths:

If a quote says only “haul away debris,” assume the first path and ask. Whether the second is available is something you can check before you sign, with the locator and the facility questions below. The fourth puts the logistics on you, which only makes sense if you are doing the work yourself or the contract excludes haul-off.

A tear-off is not only shingles. It also produces old underlayment, nails, wood from deck repairs, and metal from drip edge, vents and flashing. A recycler that takes shingles may want the rest kept out, and the metal pieces can go to a scrap metal recycler if the crew separates them. Ask the contractor whether it sorts the load and where each part goes.

How Shingle Recycling Works and How to Find a Recycler

ARMA’s Asphalt Shingle Recycling page, published May 17, 2026, says “The primary use of recycled shingles is to make roads,” and estimates that the equivalent of approximately 256,400 residential roofs were recycled into asphalt pavement in 2024. That is ARMA’s estimate, not a government count.

The mechanism is reuse of the asphalt itself. Ground shingles go into pavement mixes, where their asphalt can replace part of the binder a mix would otherwise need.

That use also explains the limits. An archived 2014 Federal Highway Administration memo, Recycled Asphalt Shingles Used in Asphalt Pavement, noted that 5 percent recycled shingles by weight can replace as much as an additional 25 percent of a mix’s total binder, and flagged that as a concern. It also reported that some state transportation departments allowed only “tabs only from manufacturing of shingles,” meaning factory scrap rather than aged tear-off. The memo is historical guidance, but it shows why acceptance varies: a recycler’s ability to take tear-off can depend on the pavement specifications it sells into.

To find one, start with ShingleRecycling.org, a recycler locator run by the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association. The site states that “Since 2009, over 16 million tons of shingle waste have been recycled into asphalt roads.” The site may not be fully current, so treat any listing as a lead to confirm, not a guarantee the facility still operates.

Then call the facility and ask:

1. Do you accept residential tear-off shingles, or only manufacturing scrap?
2. What must the load be free of: wood, metal, underlayment, nails, trash?
3. Do you require any asbestos testing or documentation before accepting tear-off?
4. Do you accept loads from any hauler, or only from approved accounts?

Your county or city solid waste office can also tell you which local facilities take shingles. If you are replacing a few shingles yourself, ask that office whether household collection accepts them or whether they must go to a drop-off site; do not assume the trash cart is an option.

Why Asbestos Screening Comes First

Recycling and disposal both assume the material is what it appears to be. EPA’s Learn About Asbestos page lists “Roofing and siding shingles” among the places asbestos can be found. If your roof has layers nobody has tested, the disposal path depends on the result.

A suspect roof changes the order of work. The test comes before tear-off, and a positive result changes how the material comes off and where it can go. Testing, the rules that apply to the crew, and contract terms for removal are covered in how the asbestos rules split between crews and homeowners. When you call a recycler, ask question 3 above before you plan around it. If the test comes back negative, keep the lab report with the contract, so you or the hauler can show it to any facility that asks for documentation.

Dumpster Placement and Site Rules

Where the container sits is a site question with local rules attached. If it fits on your driveway, the main concerns are access and protection. If it has to sit on the street or sidewalk, ask the city or county whether that requires a permit, and ask your HOA if you have one.

Before delivery day, settle these with the contractor or hauler:

• Location. Close enough to the eaves that debris can drop or be carried a short distance, and clear of overhead lines, low branches and septic or utility covers.
• Driveway protection. Ask whether boards or pads will go under the container’s rails or wheels.
• Weight terms. Shingles are heavy for the space they take up. Ask whether the container has a weight limit and what overage terms apply, in writing.
• Pickup timing. A full container left for days blocks the driveway and invites other people’s trash.

Clearing the spot and moving vehicles is part of household preparation; see how to prepare your home for roof replacement day.

Who Is Responsible for Debris Under Your Contract

Debris removal is work, and the contract should describe it like work. The FTC’s How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam puts a description of the work first on its list of what a written estimate should contain, and hauling and disposal belong in that description. The other items on the FTC’s list are covered in comparing roofing quotes line by line.

A complete debris clause answers six questions:

1. Who supplies the container or truck?
2. Where does the debris go: the named landfill, transfer station or recycler?
3. Who pays the disposal and hauling charges, and are they inside the contract price?
4. What happens if testing finds suspect material, and how is that priced?
5. Who cleans gutters, beds and the yard, and does that include a magnet sweep for nails?
6. Who repairs damage to the driveway or lawn from the container?

How this clause fits with the rest of the contract is in the full list of roofing contract terms. Checking that cleanup was actually done before you sign off is part of the final walkthrough.

Should You Ask for Recycling in Your Roofing Quote?

Use this rule. If the locator or your solid waste office shows a recycler within your hauler’s reach that accepts residential tear-off, ask every bidder to name that recycler in writing as the disposal site and to price the line separately. Compare the line across bids rather than assuming either path costs more.

Write the line so it can be checked. For example: “All tear-off shingles hauled to the named recycler; other debris hauled to the named landfill; the facility’s receipt for each load provided on request.” Receipts turn a promise into a record you can see after the job.

If no recycler accepts tear-off near you, ask bidders to name the landfill or transfer station instead, so the line is still specific. If your roof has untested older layers, get the test done first; the result decides which sites are possible.

Run the locator search, call the nearest facility with the four questions above, and get the disposal site into the contract before tear-off day and the stages that follow it.

This guide is general information for U.S. homeowners, not legal, insurance, tax, or engineering advice. Codes, laws, and policy terms vary by location and change over time; confirm details with your local building department, your insurer, or a licensed professional.

Sources

• Sustainable Management of Construction and Demolition Materials, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Asphalt Shingle Recycling, Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association
• Archived: Recycled Asphalt Shingles Used in Asphalt Pavement, Federal Highway Administration
• ShingleRecycling.org, Construction & Demolition Recycling Association
• Learn About Asbestos, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam, Federal Trade Commission