The World’s Most Recycled Material is Right Under Our Feet

Sometimes, in everyday life, there are some very basic things that we can take for granted. It’s not necessarily anything to feel guilty about. At the end of the day, there probably isn’t very much of a good reason to think about these things because they just work so well. However, at some point in time, a whole bunch of engineers were probably discussing exactly what the perfect formula was to get from an idea to a finished product for the surfaces beneath us.

In this particular case, we are talking about the roads on which we drive. Naturally, when we make our way to and from our destination without a problem, it’s not something that we think twice about. As it so happens, though, there are a variety of different materials that one might drive over in order to get to wherever it is that they are going. We have all noticed that roads are different colors and textures so what gives?

This time, thanks to Practical Engineering, we get the full rundown of exactly why different materials are used on roadways and how they can end up getting recycled to produce the surfaces. This is just one of those things that we never would have thought of but now that it’s brought to our attention, every time that we head out on the roads, we’re definitely going to be reminded.

Down below, we learn about the different applications and when one might use asphalt versus concrete on a specific road. Each and every road has been designed with a lot of considerations in mind. From the weight of vehicles to the density of traffic and even weather conditions, there are so many different reasons why specific materials are used on highways, in neighborhoods, and other surfaces around the country.

You truly learn something new every day.