Asphalt pavement producers are incorporating reclaimed asphalt pavement and recycled asphalt shingles into more and more of their pavement projects, a trade organization found in a recent survey.

Asphalt pavement companies have become a big part of the movement toward environmental consciousness and sustainability.

The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) said asphalt pavement producers increased their tonnage-use of recyclable and reclaimed materials by 6 percent from 2013-2014. This hike is significantly greater than their tonnage-use of new or non-recycled materials during the same time frame.

More than 75 million tons of recycled items were incorporated into asphalt pavement mixtures during the 2014 construction season, NAPA found in a survey of pavement firms.

These recyclables came mainly from old roads and parking lots and used asphalt roof shingles.

Nearly 72 million tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and 1.9 million tons of recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) went into asphalt pavement mixes in the nation during 2014, NAPA said. This resulted in an estimated savings of $2.8 billion, compared to the use of non-recycled asphalt aggregates.

"This helps keep asphalt pavement mixture costs competitive, and allows road owners to achieve more roadway maintenance and construction activities with limited budgets," NAPA said.