How can I reuse or recycle roofing felt?

We’ve had an email from Daniel:

Can I recycle roofing felt? I have a lot of small pieces to get rid of.

I’ve not heard of it being recyclable and looking into it, it seems unlikely because it’s several hard/impossible to recycle materials all squished together.

The better option would be to use it up somehow. Small pieces can be used for various roofing projects in the garden – for example, on top of rabbit hutches or the like*, or really small pieces could be used for the roof of a covered bird table.

As always, if you can’t use it up/reuse it in that way, try offering the pieces on your local Freecycle/Freegle group — someone nearby may make hutches or bird tables and be able to include it in their work.

Any other suggestions for using up small pieces of roofing felt? Daniel doesn’t say how small is small but I’m imagining roll-ends and off-cuts, so nothing more than a few feet wide.

* it’s not recommended to use roofing felt on anything to do with chicken coops because it provides a perfect breeding ground for red mites – but our coop came with it on the nest box part and it’s actually the least red mite-y area in the coop. I wouldn’t include it if I was building a coop from scratch though.

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5 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle roofing felt?”


  1. Mike Morone says:

    Everything is recyclable….

    Give Your Stuff Away Day
    May 14, 2011
    The World’s Biggest Recycling / Giveaway Event

    Free stuff will be available in neighborhoods all over on May 14, 2011.

    It’s an event Mike Morone is hoping to establish annually. This event could help millions, while shrinking landfills, reducing clutter, lowering costs, and boosting the economy.

    Don’t we all own items we don’t use or want any more? Why do we keep it all? In one weekend, let’s take this stuff and give it away, instantly creating the world’s biggest recycling / giveaway event!

    On May 14th, bring your stuff to the curb for others. Then go and get some new stuff!

    Mike Morone
    Give Your Stuff Away Day
    PO Box 21
    North Chili, NY 14514
    585 749-5107

  2. Anne K. says:

    If the felt is the kind that doesn’t shed, you can make a great laptop case out of it.

  3. Lizzy says:

    In school, some years ago now, in DT lessons we made birdboxes and put roofing felt on the top.

  4. Great ways to recycle roofing felt fantastic article.

  5. Hannan Ahmad says:

    Whether it is roofing shingles or a roofing felt, you can always give them to a recycling company. The alternative option is to make an art piece out of them. Use your creativity and make something to decorate your living room with.



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