The Cherry Growers Building Gets a New Roof. The Old one will Get a New Life.
By Jayne Smith
Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 7:47 p.m.
Read more: Local, Go Green, Bloxom Roofing, Cherry Growers, Grawn, Recycling, Roofing, Green, Green Building
GRAWN -- The Cherry Growers building in Grawn has a new roof and 95 percent of the old roof is being recycled.
Edward Bloxsom of Traverse City-based Bloxsom roofing says the PVC membrane of the old roof will be cut up, packaged, and shipped back to its manufacturer. The manufacturer has, in the past year, found a way to recycle the material.
PVC or polyvinyl chloride is a plastic commonly used in construction. Because it is a thermoplastic, it can be melted again and again.
Cherry Growers will be using the stone from the old roof for landscaping and driveway maintenance. The metal will be sent to a metal-recycling facility.
Bloxsom says recycling the old roof is a cost-saving option. Cutting, and packaging the roof membrane costs Bloxom Roofing less than bringing five to six trucks of material to a landfill.
The new roof is constructed of materials which can be recycled in the future. It will also help to save energy. The new roof’s PVC membrane is 90 percent reflective, which will help keep the building cool in the summer. In another energy-saving step, three inches of insulation was added to the building as the roof was being installed.
