According to the findings by NAPA, about 66.7 million tons of asphalt pavement and 1.2 million tons of reclaimed asphalt shingles were collected in the United States during 2011.  The recycling has gained wide support from left wing conservatives and democrats alike.  The bipartisan support is due to the fact that recycling asphalt is saving manufactures money while simultaneously preserving the environment.  This has also lead to a drop in demand for the raw materials used to produce asphalt.  This is generally beneficial to global welfare, for it tends to be the case that these resources are mined in an unscrupulous fashion.