Coventry, England, October 24, 2006--Britain’s leading events carpeting contractor, Reeds Carpeting, has made several dramatic new breakthroughs in its drive to eliminate post-show landfill wastage, according to LondonLaunch.com.
The company is currently investing about half a million pounds in the UK’s first-ever specialised carpet recycling plant and has launched a new “return” delivery service.
Clare Reed, Managing Director with Reeds Carpet Recycling Ltd, said: “Our new recyclable carpet range, EVO-RIB is proving to be even more versatile than we had imagined. It has increased pile content giving a thickness normally associated with a foam-backed cord. But it’s lighter to carry and can be manoeuvred around floor areas more easily, due to its special backing. And now it can be fully recycled at our specialist site in Coventry.
“We have also successfully trialled a new plush heavy-duty velour carpet at the Frieze Art Fair in London’s Regents Park. This will add another recyclable product to our Evolution range,” she added.
Use of the Evolution range has mushroomed even in the last couple of months.
“During September we supplied or fitted one-third of a million sq m of carpeting. Almost half of that – some 150,000 sq m – is coming back to us for recycling, said Reed. “We had two stands at the recent Showman’s Show at Newbury Showground and news about our progress with the project generated a fantastic amount interest and enquiries,” she added.
“We have also launched a collection service for amounts of 2,000 sq m and over which have been used within a 150-mile radius of Coventry. Contractors can also return any EVO-RIB carpeting direct to our recycling plant, where it will be recycled without charge.”
Originally it was thought that waste EVO-RIB carpet could only be recycled as black polypropylene pellets for use in second-grade plastics. But further experimentation has shown that it can be turned into pellets in the carpet’s original colour.
“And going one step further, again, we have discovered the pellets can be re-used to manufacture the same quantity of carpeting for use a second time – effectively doubling a carpet’s working life.
“Reeds alone has been using something over 2 million sq m of carpet a year – some 850 tonnes. The industry’s total waste output is an estimated 12 million sq m. Just think of the “green” impact the industry could be making by using our EVO-RIB technology - in terms of recycling into plastic products and in re-using for a second time.
“As far as we are aware our carpet is still the only genuinely proven recyclable product used, and disposed of, in the UK,” she added.
The project’s seemingly unstoppable progress is the culmination of three years of intense and still ongoing, research carried out in co-operation with the Polymer Cluster Project at Warwick University.
It has helped to make Reeds a national, even international, force in the drive to make the exhibition and events industry more environmentally aware. “The Earth’s natural resources include only 200 years’ worth of virgin polypropylene at current usage rates,” added Reed.
“At present recycling costs significantly more than the rate charged for landfill, but over coming years those figures will get closer and closer. And sooner or later our industry is going to have to accept more stringent environmental safeguards.”
“Companies keep going to landfill, and the cost per tonne is rising all the time. It involves a change of mind-set at all operational levels.
“One of the biggest challenges involved in carrying out these recycling programmes means that post-show pullouts have to be handled in a more systematic manner, so the right waste can be separated for recycling.”
