Carpet recycling soars 30% in the UK

United Kingdom – More than 85 000 tonnes of carpet was diverted from UK landfills last year for a 30% increase over 2011. Of the total, roughly 36 000 tonnes was recycled or reused while the remainder went for energy recovery, new figures released by Carpet Recycling UK (CRUK) have revealed.

The volumes of carpet that were recycled grew by 12.5%, or 4000 tonnes, whereas quantities going down the energy recovery route soared 44%, or 15 000 tonnes. The ‘entrepreneurial commitment’ to developing new outlets and markets for all types of carpet waste are identified by CRUK as a major influence on these results.

‘While an estimated 78.6% of end-of-life carpet still ends up in landfill, our goals for 2013 will continue to drive higher carpet recycling rates through a number of initiatives, including local authority encouragement on segregation,’ remarks CRUK Director Laurance Bird. As ‘new recycling opportunities continue to emerge’, CRUK is now aiming to achieve a 25% diversion rate by 2015.

Meanwhile, goals for this year include: attaining a 23.5% landfill diversion target; increasing reuse, recycling and energy recovery outlets; recruiting manufacturers, distributors, retailers and flooring contractor members to support collection infrastructure growth and improve carpet values; and boosting awareness of carpet recycling opportunities and recycler initiatives across the value chain.

For more information, visit: www.carpetrecyclinguk.com