We Calgarians recently received some fantastic environmental news: the opening of the Empower Calgary facility in Rocky View County. This new plant, operated by Northstar Clean Technologies (the leader in the recovery and reprocessing of asphalt shingles in North America), is North America's first commercial-scale shingle recycling operation. It's a massive step forward, promising to divert thousands of tonnes of asphalt shingles—a material that would otherwise sit in our landfills for centuries—and break them down into reusable components like liquid asphalt and aggregate.
This is a win for local innovation and a significant step toward a circular economy. But as we celebrate this milestone, it's crucial to place it in proper context.
The facility has the potential to process up to 80,000 tonnes of shingles annually. While impressive, this number also highlights the sheer scale of the problem. This one plant's capacity, even when running at its peak, represents only a portion of the shingles torn off roofs in our region every year.
The truth is, even the best recycling program is a reactive solution. It’s an end-of-life plan for a product that we’ve already deemed "waste."
What if we changed our thinking? What if, instead of just figuring out how to dispose of our roofs, we focused on how to make them last longer and work for us while they're up there?
For too long, homeowners have treated their roofs with a "set it and forget it" mindset. It's a protective layer, and we only think about it when it fails. This leads to a cycle of premature replacements every 12-15 years, generating massive amounts of unnecessary waste—waste that we're now, thankfully, learning to recycle.
But recycling doesn't address the core problem. A proactive approach to roofing can save you thousands of dollars, reduce your environmental footprint, and turn a passive expense into an active asset.
Your roof is the most sun-exposed part of your home, and in our city that boasts some of the highest solar potential in Canada, we're letting that resource go to waste.
Installing a solar PV (photovoltaic) system turns your roof into a miniature power plant.
This brings us to the other side of the equation. Why are we replacing our shingles so often in the first place?
Asphalt shingles fail because, over time, the natural oils that keep them flexible and waterproof dry out. The shingles become brittle, crack, and lose their granular coating, leading to leaks and a mandatory (and expensive) replacement.
This is where shingle preservation comes in!
Instead of tearing off a 12-year-old roof that's just beginning to show its age, you can rejuvenate it. Modern preservation technologies, like the one we use at Bright Green Roof, apply a plant-based, eco-friendly oil treatment that soaks into the shingle. This treatment replaces the lost petrochemical oils, restoring the shingle's flexibility, durability, and waterproofing.
The new Empower Calgary recycling plant is a vital piece of the sustainability puzzle, and we should be proud to have it here. It provides a responsible home for shingles that have truly reached the end of their useful life.
But for the average homeowner, the best environmental and financial decision isn't just about better recycling at the end. It’s about not needing to recycle in the first place.
By combining the power of solar energy with the intelligence of shingle preservation, you can transform your roof from a depreciating liability into a long-lasting, high-performance asset that works for your wallet and the planet.
