Maintaining Asphalt Driveways the Eco Friendly Way

When it comes to eco friendliness, few people would associate asphalt driveways with being ‘green’. Nothing, not even its color has anything to do with being friendly to the environment, not to mention the globally acceptable green symbol for eco-friendly substances. Surprisingly though, it is quite possible for your asphalt driveway to become a participant in the crusade towards a better, greener earth.

How? Well, to better understand how this is possible, the first thing that we need to understand is the concept behind eco friendliness or being green for the environment. Apart from the actual drive for more vegetation cover on the earth; being able to preserve the natural resources that we already have, saving other resources such as time and money and generally steering clear of those things that pollute the environment, does help the world become greener.

Now when it comes to asphalt driveways, how you maintain and take care of yours is how your asphalt driveway and eco friendliness could either end up in the same sentence or on the opposite sides of the debate regarding global warming. With that regard, preventative asphalt maintenance is the thing that is going to help preserve and conserve the environment by basically ensuring that it stays in good form and lasts for a long time.

With preventative maintenance, the need for more asphalt to repair or replace your existing driveway is reduced drastically. Statistics from Sacramento State University indicate that the need for a total of 1,870 pounds of aggregate and 16 gallons oil, plus the release of 75 pounds of harmful gas to the environment will all be eliminated with every ton of asphalt that is avoided. The following are steps on how all that can be accomplished.

Regular cleaning of the asphalt surface

Asphalt Pavement Alliance, Port of Portland T6 Porous Pavement with Water. (PRNewsFoto/Asphalt Pavement Alliance)

Maintaining a smooth surface by carefully sweeping the asphalt driveway on a regular basis is not only going to be a preventative maintenance practice, but will also keep the entire driveway neat and safe. A well maintained driveway will be more resistant to damage and wear, and that will be beneficial for your pocket in more ways than one. Reducing the need for repairs might not be that good for the repair guys, but it is certainly good for the environment.

Promptly removing substances on the asphalt that can degrade it

Oil, grease, diesel and transmission fluid are common substances that can spill on the driveway from your car. Such substances are capable of softening the asphalt paving and making it vulnerable to damage. It is thus prudent to wash these from the surface of your driveway as soon as you spot them. For a more eco-friendly approach, go for the all-natural grease removers to thoroughly clean the spills. These are good for the environment, even though they are not as strong as their chemical counterparts; but that’s something that you can resolve with a little more effort and patience.

Keeping vegetation away from the asphalt

Grass and weeds can sprout at the edges of the driveway or within it, and if that is left unchecked, it can take deep roots and compromise the strength of the asphalt. This is that one time when clearing vegetation will actually be an eco-friendly exercise. To further keep up with the environmental friendly asphalt preventative maintenance, pick up your household vinegar and pour that over the areas where you have pulled out the grass and weeds to kill any other that may try to regrow.

Fixing cracks and dents in the driveway

As soon as you spot a crack, fill it up with liquid crack filler to seal it up before it becomes big. That action plays to a better environment because when left unchecked, the crack will enlarge, even forming potholes, and thus require hot pour crack filler which is a process that is not so good for the environment. Even so, not fixing the crack at all poses even more risks of water damage on the asphalt which is just bad whichever way you look at it.

Adding an extra finishing touch on the asphalt

A little asphalt seal coat over your driveways is certainly a nice touch for improving looks. However, with relevance to the subject of eco friendliness, that black seal coat over your faded asphalt picks up more heat from the sun during winter, which helps melt down ice and snow on the driveway. That eliminates the need to use salt and methods of removing that snow off the driveway. Now that right there is a greener way of taking care of ice and snow on your driveway, but it is also important to note that the seal coat will also make the asphalt more resilient and prolong its lifespan.

Author Bio:

Sam Wade is an innovative digital marketing manager designing end-to-end marketing campaigns for Jackson Asphalt. His expertise lies in developing unique marketing processes that ensure continued growth and development of the business. Sam has successfully led the marketing team of Jackson Asphalt with his knowledge and experience.