NO VINYL RESTING PLACE
We report on how Back to the Floor takes care of the vinyl and marmoleum off-cuts from large projects including hospitals and recycles them back into flooring.
The Back to the Floor recycling scheme offers a flexible collection service for Forbo’s waste flooring products and is ideal for all types of projects, especially larger ones such as a hospitals and healthcare establishments.
At the same time as diverting Forbo Flooring off-cuts from landfill for subsequent recycling back into new flooring products, the scheme can save flooring companies up to 70% on their disposal costs. Back to the Floor also offers flexibility for companies of all sizes as only a minimum of one full bulk bag is required to request a collection.
Participation in Back to the Floor is valuable when the flooring contract specification demands a waste recycling programme be in place. This was the case on a recent major hospital contract in Ireland, where several tonnes of marmoleum and project vinyl off-cuts were collected over a period of ten months from a new extension to St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny City.
The waste off-cuts from 5,500m² of flooring installed by Midland Tile Merchants were stored in bulk bags at their warehouse before being returned for recycling into new flooring products at Forbo’s manufacturing plants in the UK.
Declan Lough, Director at Midland Tile Merchants explains how details about Back to the Floor in a Forbo mailshot caught his attention as they were negotiating the hospital contract.
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joined the scheme. As their experience demonstrates, collectors can make valuable savings on disposal costs and the materials can be readily recycled back into new products.
“It’s a great environmental story and one which we hope will inspire others here to come on board,” he adds.
“We had to make sure recycling could happen,” he says, “so we signed up to the scheme and everything fell into place. The timing was perfect.”
Fitters and cleaners working on the project were given colour-coded polythene bags and instructed on where to place the off-cuts correctly. “Although it took some organisation and education to make sure the right off-cuts were in the right bags,” says Declan, “we’ve proved it can work and it has delivered a clear saving on disposal costs.”
Following the success of recycling off-cuts from the hospital project, his company will continue to use Back to the Floor, which they believe will help the business in the future amid growing environmental awareness that is encouraging people to recycle more.
For Paul Carney, Managing Director of Forbo Flooring Ireland, getting the scheme underway was a priority on receiving Midland Tile Merchants’ enquiry. “We were delighted when they
Back to the Floor Scheme Co-ordinator, Michelle Brewer says five bulk bags of marmoleum off-cuts and one bulk bag of project vinyl were collected from Midland Tile Merchants in February, adding. “This hospital off-cuts recycling project has been a great success and we hope it will encourage even more flooring professionals to join Back to the Floor.”
In the UK, customers can drop off marmoleum off-cuts at J De Bruyn (Flooring Services) Ltd and Headlam Scotland, while cushion vinyl off-cuts can be deposited at Fitwell Flooring, Redruth, 3D Flooring Swansea and MCD Wales, Bridgend.
Most Forbo off-cuts, as well as cushion vinyl flooring off-cuts from almost all manufacturers, are recycled back into new Forbo flooring products across the company’s portfolio.
The scheme offers both environmental and economic benefits for participants through diversion of waste material from landfill and preservation of raw material resources for use in new products.
backtothefloor@forbo.com
www.tomorrowscontractfloors.com
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