A new cutting-edge recycling technology is making an inroads in the state of Utah, as the state's Department of Transportation has implemented a process it calls road recycling. According to the Deseret News, the process allows municipalities to save an exorbitant amount of money by tearing out existing asphalt, mixed with new materials and then placing it back down directly onto the surface. This will help the Utah Department of Transportation use less oil when paving roads and lower transportation costs of removing the old pavement.

"We're basically taking up the old road, adding line and asphalt emulsion, and putting it back down," Trent Webb, a worker with Construction Material Recycling, told the news source.

This new technology is an important step for the United States, as many states have received funds from the stimulus package to improve their infrastructures. This innovative method of road paving cuts the costs by nearly a third, which will allow local governments to put funds back into the community.

In the past, it was much cheaper to haul away the old road and put down a new surface, but with the rising prices of oil and asphalt, communities have been trying out new ways of recycling old material. Webb contends that there is still plenty of viable oil that can be used in the old road, and it actually helps cut down on the materials needed to make new pavement.

Above all, the new road recycling program is quick and easy. Webb believes that after the process is finished, cars could travel on the new roads within four to six hours. Currently, the method is only being employed in rural areas where materials are hard to come by, but with a few improvements, it could be adapted to urban use in the near future.