We're not just separating glass from plastic. Recycling takes place on a gigantic scale with MoDOT.

Sometimes, the department recycles entire sections of roads!

I-64 -- When reconstruction of a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 64 in the heart of St. Louis was completed in December 2009, 456,000 tons of concrete and asphalt had been recycled and reused in the new highway.

Recycled Bridges – As bridges are replaced, MoDOT recycles as much steel and reinforcing bars as possible. Four major bridge projects since 2009 – the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program, the Fairfax Bridge in Kansas City, the Manchester Bridge in Kansas City and the I-64 Daniel Boone Bridge in St. Louis – accounted for the recycling of 23,400 tons of steel! Those projects also used more than 200,000 tons of cycled concrete in stabilizing embankments and stream beds.

Roofs to Roads -- From 2011-2015, MoDOT used 345,020 tons of recycled shingles in asphalt – leading to a savings of $43.5 million. Read more about this program on its own web page here.

That's a lot of retreads -- From 2011-2015, MoDOT used 6,200 tons of ground tire rubber in construction projects.

Look for the signs -- About 70 percent of state highway signs are produced from reclaimed material, making the signs cheaper and faster to get.

Recycling Accolades -- MoDOT's effort are recognized by leaders in the recycling industry. In fact, the department received the Missouri Recycling Association’s Outstanding Use of Recycled Material award in 2008.

Recycle Asphalt --  Using the latest technology, MoDOT can actually recycle entire asphalt roads.  Find out more about recycling asphalt in place on this page.