Increasingly, businesses, householders and local authorities are looking for better alternatives for the recycling of unwanted carpet materials. We help ensure that the growing demand for carpet recycling services is met.
Carpets are made from natural and synthetic fibres, which still have a value once the carpet is no longer wanted; they can be used in a wide range of applications from sports surfaces to insulation.
Members report record recycling figures for 2011
New figures show that almost 6000 tonnes of carpet waste were diverted from landfill by seven of Carpet Recycling UK’s manufacturing members this year. This represents a diversion rate of 85% and a 50% increase on 2010 figures for members’ industrial waste.
A record breaking 4983 tonnes, of a total 5983 of the waste carpet off cuts were recycled to recover valuable fibres. The remaining 1035 tonnes were used for energy recovery; the high calorific value embedded in carpets makes them ideal for energy generation.
The seven manufacturers who submitted figures are Abingdon Flooring, Brintons, Cormar Carpets, Forbo, Milliken, Brockway and Penthouse Carpets. “Its a tremendous leap forward and a great achievement for the group” said Laurance Bird, director of CRUK, “All of these companies are expected to reach zero waste to landfill by 2012 with the infrastructure investments they have in place.”
Northwest carpet recycling industry to expand
Recycling most of the 50,000 tons of used carpet generated annually in Seattle and King County that is currently going into landfills is the goal of a new carpet recycling strategy by King County and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU).
In order to divert used and scrap carpet from the landfill and to boost recycling, the King County Solid Waste Division’s LinkUp program and SPU organized a Carpet Recycling Workgroup comprised of state and local governments and research university representatives from Washington, Oregon, California, and British Columbia.
The result of the collaboration is the Northwest Carpet Recycling Strategy, which aims to increase demand for carpet recycling and drive demand for commodities derived from and products made with recovered carpet fiber.
The multi-agency workgroup gathered input from industry experts and stakeholders to create the strategy. The workgroup hosted two business roundtable sessions with industry stakeholders to gain input while developing the plan. Parties provided input about what were the most important activities needed to get carpet recycling established in the region.
The findings from these roundtable sessions were then combined with input from the workgroup members and a list of possible strategies and tactics emerged. The workgroup then prioritized and combined tactics into the recommended actions included in the final Northwest Carpet Recycling Strategy.
The strategy also includes action items to pursue product stewardship measures such as legislation, memoranda of understanding, product redesign, closed loop recycling, and take back programs. The goal of such activities is to utilize solid waste and other public policies to influence costs and facilitate the flow of quality material toward recycling.
Other actions outlined in the strategy include reduction of asbestos contamination in used carpet, formation of a consortium focused on bringing a carpet processing facility to the Northwest and continued collaboration between interested parties.
A number of items in the action plan are already under way, and some co exist with other programs in both the public and private sectors. The priority items that King County LinkUp and SPU will be working on in the near term include increasing demand for carpet recycling and driving demand for commodities derived from and made with recovered carpet fiber. The strategy will be implemented over the next couple of years.
According to the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) 2008 Annual Report, of the 2,821,000 tons of post consumer carpet discarded in 2008 in the United States, 122,000 tons (243 million pounds) or 4 percent was recycled. Currently, most of the 50,000 tons of used and scrap carpet generated in Seattle and King County is being landfilled; area solid waste agencies estimate that only a very small percentage is recycled.
Headlam Lifestyle Floors joins to support Carpet Recycling UK
In September Headlam Group plc became Carpet Recycling UK ‘s latest member, joining the group of 11 other companies who contribute to the association’s core operating costs.
Project Co-ordinator Jane Gardner welcomed the company’s backing: “The support of Headlam will help us push ahead to increase carpet recycling, turning waste into a marketable resource and stimulating development of more recycling outlets.”
Keith Yates of Headlam said: “We are pleased to join CRUK as core funders and look forward to playing an active role in the organisation. As Europe ‘s leading floor covering distributor we believe we can make a significant contribution to the efforts already being made to improve recycling rates and achieve workable solutions to the problems our industry faces in this increasingly important area.”
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