FLOORING
VINYL FOOTPRINT
Flooring companies participating in the Recofloor commercial waste vinyl flooring take back scheme are contributing to a greener outlook for the sector by reducing the carbon footprint of their activities. Carla Eslava, Recofloor Scheme Manager, explains how it works.
Growing interest in environmental issues coupled with pressure on the construction industry to reduce its carbon footprint is forcing more businesses to examine what they can do better to reduce and recycle the waste generated at every stage of the installation phases.
Set up in 2009 by flooring manufacturers Altro and Polyflor to divert growing volumes of waste vinyl flooring from landfill, Recofloor is a leading example of how a sustainable collection service for this recyclable waste material can contribute towards a circular economy and savings on CO2 emissions. Collecting vinyl flooring through Recofloor ensures material gets a second life beyond the product’s first use, saving on raw material resources and recovering PVC for reuse, potentially for decades.
Recofloor has calculated that, on average, recycling PVC flooring through its scheme is estimated to save 1.17 tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of flooring recycled. This calculation is based on several factors such as the volumes collected, distance travelled, transport vehicles’ efficiency and the material processing and recycling process of displacing concrete in traffic management products, the primary application for the recycled flooring. In the past, most of the pressure was on manufacturers, but now everyone in the industry plays a role in reducing carbon footprints of their operations and organisations are taking a more environmentally conscious approach to waste management.
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Collections of acceptable materials, such as Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVTs), smooth, safety and loose lay vinyl offcuts, roll-ends and uplifted, are available from Recofloor throughout the UK giving the flooring industry a sustainable route to dispose of waste vinyl flooring, helping the sector to reduce its carbon footprint.
Recofloor-registered contractors and fitters are encouraged to use the free drop-off locations and drop off small volumes of waste vinyl when buying or collecting supplies for new projects at their local participating flooring distributors’ premises. This enables small quantities of waste to be bulked up with distributors’ volumes.
Some distributors can offer a collection service when they are delivering materials to customers for later collection by Recofloor at their premises. These are the best options from an environmental perspective to reduce the number of vehicle journeys on the road.
When the free drop off is not an option due to larger volumes, contractors can bulk material at their own premises or directly from a working site and book the collections. These are the more cost-effective options for contractors as Recofloor collections are typically less costly than paying for waste disposal, saving up to 70% when compared to landfill.
Although collections across the UK present challenges in terms of transport arrangements which could have an impact on the environment, the use of Altro and Polyflor’s transport is vital in reducing vehicles on the road by
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