As the nation's supply shortage continues to hinder the roofing industry, finding ways to reuse or recycle is becoming more important than ever. Creating a circular economy not only improves material efficiency and use, it helps the environment.

Those goals are what Mycocycle Inc. is hoping to achieve with its unique approach to recycling the industry's asphalt waste: using mushroom roots to turn waste into renewable byproducts. Joanne Rodriguez recently spoke with RC on how the process works and how roofing companies can get involved.

"In four weeks or less, we're able to process the toxins out and create what we call mycofiber or mycofill," said Rodriguez. "It could be very similar to wood fiber, it could continue to be processed and be similar to an MDF or HDF board, it could be part of a drop-in to replace plastics to become the insulation product of the future."

Rodriguez also touches on how Mycocycle is quickly gaining steam for its recycling process, including becoming a member of The REMADE Institute, a public-private partnership established by the U.S. Department of Energy, and a member of Startup Chicago.

View the video above or download and listen to the podcast version here.