Axios Tampa Bay is an Axios company.

Without much fanfare or attention, workers last month installed a first-of-its-kind roof on an East Tampa home that could dramatically change the roofing industry and keep tons of shingles out of the nation's landfills.

Why it matters: Some 12 million tons of asphalt shingles end up in landfills each year, and they take 300 years to break down.

Driving the news: Standard Industries' GAF, North America's largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, installed its first recycled shingle roof on the home of a Tampa veteran in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County. It plans to re-roof 500 homes with a variety of non-profit partners this year.

Details: GAF's CEO Jim Schnepper tells us that the company has been working for years on reducing landfill waste and has finally developed a way to make shingles using 15% recycled material.

How it works: Old shingles are sorted, ground into powder and turned into briquettes at a facility in New York. Then that material is combined with new asphalt at GAF's Tampa factory to make new shingles.

The goal: To divert 1 million tons of shingles from landfills by 2030.

Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Tampa Bay.

Support local journalism by becoming a member.

No stories could be found

Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Tampa Bay.

Support local journalism by becoming a member.