WATCH: Buckeye, county demo new tool that turns roads to pulp — and recycles the asphalt

Buckeye and other municipal officials attended a demo of a portable asphalt grinder, which can instantly pulverize roads and recycle portions of the asphalt.

The product, called Asphalt Zipper, chopped up a section of county training asphalt within five minutes, instantly readying the area for care or re-patching.

Ken Follett, territory manager for Asphalt Zipper, said this type of product can save money and foster independence from expensive contractors.

“If you want 70% cost savings, you're no longer saw cutting, you're no longer chunking out asphalt, you're no longer hauling material out, and you're no longer bringing new material in to lay down and compact before you lay down your wearable surface,” he said. “So that's where the 70% comes in, because you're recycling the asphalt and leaving that in place as reusable road base.”

At around $275,000, Ken Follett said the tool can help counties or municipalities save money.

He told a county official that they’d recoup their cost within two typical 2-mile projects and that they had long-term flexibility to fix issues when they arise.