SUSTAINABLE SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR – WASTE/RECYCLING


flooring in the UK. When individual companies tried to do this on a large scale, the economic cost often made any scheme prohibitive. There is much interest from other flooring companies to join. Crucially, Recofloor can show other product group manufacturers within the construction industry how working together, despite being competitors, can improve the sustainability of their product. This is especially important in a climate where materials are increasingly under the ‘sustainability spotlight’ with customers trying to make the best environmental choices.


With the recent legislative introduction of site waste management plans and as landfill tax and sustainability concerns increase, more and more flooring contractors and construction companies are keen to see their end–of–life flooring recycled. Recofloor offers a ‘one-stop’ solution to vinyl flooring collection and recovery and is being specified as an outlet in many tenders for hospitals and leisure centres.


ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY: Recofloor is a much more efficient use of resources and saves on valuable landfill space. Due to its composition, PVC flooring can be recovered and processed many times into high grade recyclate to substitute virgin PVC. As the amount of recycled material in the flooring increases, less virgin material will be required – with a corresponding decrease in the emissions and carbon footprint required to manufacture vinyl flooring. The carbon footprint is further reduced through using the pre-existing distribution network to collect material as well as bulking up waste vinyl at drop-off sites.


SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY: Participants are awarded Certificates of Commitment. Certification levels depend upon the quality and amount of material collected. Demonstrating ‘green credentials’ can help flooring contractors to develop their business, especially among clients with established corporate sustainability programmes. Recofloor’s nominal collection fee is well below landfill tax charges. In uncertain economic times, with landfill waste disposal costs escalating each year, some smaller flooring contractors in particular are benefitting from reduced costs.


ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY: Thanks to process innovations from


Altro and Polyflor, the long term economic sustainability of the programme is enhanced by recycling collected waste


back into new flooring products. This is particularly cost effective because of the high value of virgin PVC polymer. Other flooring manufacturers will be invited to join the scheme, further improving its long term economic sustainability and running costs, while increasing collection volumes significantly. Operating expenses are reduced through using pre-existing distribution networks for collection of material. Waste disposal costs are reduced for Recofloor members as their waste is collected for a nominal fee and not landfilled at considerable cost.


TECHNICAL ASPECTS: Previous collection schemes set up by manufacturers on a project to project basis had limited success. Several different bins were necessary and material had to be segregated according to manufacturer because companies would only collect and recycle their own material. This made recycling waste flooring very confusing. One of Recofloor’s biggest strengths is its united approach and collection of vinyl flooring waste irrespective of who manufactured it. Whether the material originates from Altro, Polyflor or any of the other manufacturers who sell vinyl flooring in the UK, Recofloor will collect it and the material is recycled by the two founder members. This united approach encompassing all brands has proved to be much more successful and easy to manage on site than separate corporate schemes.


SPECIFICATION STRATEGY: Vinyl flooring is source-segregated by each member into smooth vinyl flooring off-cuts, safety flooring off-cuts and uplifted flooring, then placed in clearly labelled bulk bags or bins. Flooring is collected and taken to the appropriate recycler. Each bag is pre-checked for contaminants to maintain high quality input material. Recofloor’s clear specification document explains the types of vinyl that can be collected. Members are expected to adhere to this specification. Strict material separation means a high quality PVC recyclate can be produced from post consumer vinyl flooring.


Recofloor effectively closes the loop on vinyl flooring recycling as off-cuts go back into new vinyl flooring and uplifted material is turned into traffic calming products.


PEOPLE AND TRAINING INITIATIVES: Recofloor encourages and trains staff at waste transfer stations, construction and


SUSTAINABLE FM AWARDS 2010 |57


Recofloor Polyfloor employee with waste flooring material


flooring companies to segregate vinyl flooring waste and recycle it. Recofloor’s dedicated consultant – the Garbage Guru – helps members to identify vinyl flooring and meet recyclers’ specifications. Recofloor also educates college students about the importance of recycling, thus influencing future flooring contractors from the outset.


CASE STUDY: Wates Retail identified a number of construction projects to take part in a trial scheme to assess Recofloor’s initial viability. These projects collected vinyl flooring off-cuts for recycling – thus solving the problem of bulking up enough to make the scheme viable.


The trial was run by Axion Consulting in association with Altro and Polyflor. Axion worked with Wates’ flooring contractors to arrange collection bag delivery. Flooring contractors stored full bags on site and five or more at a time were taken for recycling. Wates identified 14 construction or refurbishment projects at retail stores – from Scotland to Essex – to take part in the trial between September 2008 and March 2009.


Some 5.6 tonnes of off-cuts were returned to flooring manufacturers for use in new flooring products. This highly successful trial led to Axion, in conjunction with Altro and Polyflor, offering Recofloor to a large number of flooring contractors across the industry. Wates is continuing to support the scheme on a number of other projects across their business.


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