# Glass in Asphault **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 27, 2000, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glass-in-asphault/23693 "2000-06-27T04:27:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mechanic\_Matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@Mechanic\_Matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mechanic_Matt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glass-in-asphault/23693/1 "2000-06-27T04:27:18Z")
What is the purpose of glass in the asphault of our roads? I have always pondered on this… Thanks ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glass-in-asphault/23693/2 "2000-06-27T04:31:35Z")
Glassphalt (the real name) helps to recycle used glass. See: [http://realtytimes.com/rtnews/rtcpages/20000217\_asphalt.htm](http://realtytimes.com/rtnews/rtcpages/20000217_asphalt.htm) ---
**Author:** ![JimmyNipples](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@JimmyNipples](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimmyNipples)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glass-in-asphault/23693/3 "2000-06-27T13:10:51Z")
Although this doesn’t answer the question, (directly) it’s worth your time. Our roads and highways are not dumping grounds. Ground up bits of glass and rubber and newspapers, shouldn’t be there. Our governments would have us believe that there is no value in our roads. Of course there is. My cousin invented a process called the PYRO-PAVER. It’s a convoy of several trucks and machinary that heats up the existing pavement, lifts it off the ground, puts it in a hopper, where additional ingredients are added. Here’s the groovy part, it lays a brand-new road down again. There IS value in the asphalt. You don’t have to rip up the old road, cart it off to the dump, and bring in new stuff. The Unions hate it. The government is so crazy about it either. Pavingly yours, Graeme ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glass-in-asphault/23693/4 "2000-06-27T13:18:28Z")
why do the unions hate it? they still get the work of unpaving and repaving the road. or are you talking about the unions that supply asphalt? ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glass-in-asphault/23693/5 "2000-06-27T16:16:51Z")
Glass beads are used as a reflector poured on the white and yellow stripes in the middle of the road and crosswalks. As far as asphalt goes who knows what is really in there. ---
**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glass-in-asphault/23693/6 "2000-06-27T17:44:25Z")
The Big Tire companies put it in there to tear up your tires faster so you will have to buy replacements. 🙂 Glass, or any other hard particles, also makes asphault more wear resistant so it lasts longer. ---
**Author:** ![Rocket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Rocket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocket)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2000, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glass-in-asphault/23693/7 "2000-06-27T17:45:49Z")
Graeme; What are you talking about? Have you seen the litter out there on the roads? But seriously, I think the least of our worries are bits of ground glass and tires in asphalt. Look at the other stuff in there (polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, cumene, and who knows what else). ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glass-in-asphault/23693/8 "2000-06-28T13:18:56Z")
it’s actually an acceptable method to dispose of some fuel-contamination soil by mixing it with asphalt. a lot of the same stuff is already in asphalt and the solidified mass immobilizes contaminants. ---
**Author:** ![JimmyNipples](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@JimmyNipples](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimmyNipples)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2000, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glass-in-asphault/23693/9 "2000-06-28T13:43:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > why do the unions hate it? they still get the work of unpaving and repaving the road. or are you talking about the unions that supply asphalt? > \*\* The unions supply trucks and so on. (Teamsters) It’s a self contained process. You don’t need more oil, asphalt, trucks and all the other stuff you see when a road is being paved. All you need is the PYRO-Paver, its crew and a few barrels of oil…to replace what gets burned off during the heating process. It uses existing materials to get a new road. its really fabulous. I’ll look around for his site. Regards, Graeme