Recofloor Newsletter No. 3
Welcome to the third issue of the Recofloor newsletter.
We are very excited to announce that already Recofloor has been shortlisted for an award! The scheme has been shortlisted for the category: ‘The Award for Waste’ as part of the Sustain Magazine Awards, the publication for ‘Sustainability, Business and the Built Environment’. Category winners will be announced in March at the forthcoming Ecobuild Exhibition at Earls Court, London – so fingers crossed!
Iin this issue there is a focus on the Recofloor distributors (we now have 7 on board - and are hoping to recruit more) and contact details for them all.
Flooring Distributors Get On Board
There are now more than 190 Recofloor collection sites, including individual flooring contractors, large construction projects and trade waste sites. To date, seven flooring distributors, of which six are members of the Independent Flooring Distributors Association and one in Dublin, are actively collecting uplifted vinyl flooring and installation offcuts.
IFDA members, based in Sheffield, Leeds, Hull, Hampshire and Kent offer a drop-off service to their clients where contractors can deposit waste vinyl flooring in special 1,100-litre bins or return full bags when collecting new supplies.
Recofloor Project Manager Jane Gardner says: “Distributors see it as an additional beneficial and convenient service for their customers, who not only save on disposal costs but can also demonstrate their commitment to reducing environmental impact by recycling old and unwanted vinyl flooring. They also benefit from increased contact with their customers, whom they’ll see more regularly when they return to recycle their flooring.”
James Smith, Director of family-run Nutland Carpet Accessories in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire, says: “With over 300 accounts, there is great potential to recycle more. We’re handing out sacks to our customers who know there’s a convenient drop-off point for floor waste when they collect new supplies. We are pleased with the scheme and hope it will be successful.”
STS Flooring in Orpington, Kent, is trialling collections at its trade counter that will be extended to depots in Croydon, Cambridge, Watford and Thame. “Making contractors aware that recycling is worthwhile and of benefit is vital. We’re handing out flyers with collection bags, but it will take time,” says Sales Director Jim Flockhart. “Certainly those who have taken up the idea are supportive and see it as a good idea.”
As his customer Geoff Turner Flooring says: “What a crying shame if all this stuff goes to waste. We’re recycling offcuts; it’s a good scheme.” Dave Sands, owner of Nothing But Flooring, says the scheme ‘makes sense’, particularly for contracts with large volumes of uplifted flooring.
As committed recyclers of their plastic and cardboard waste, FM Birch in Sheffield believes vinyl recycling is a logical next step. “It has to happen – there is the willingness and enthusiasm for it at all our three sites,” comments Sales Director Gordon Hershaw. “The message is getting through to contractors who realise that recycling offcuts will save on disposal costs and boost their ‘green’ credentials with councils. We’re sorting out collection logistics to make it easier for our customers to recycle.”
PFL, an Irish distributor, is another enthusiastic supporter of the scheme, which it plans to roll out throughout the island following a successful trial with ten key customers in the Dublin area. “Feedback was very positive, with people recognising the environmental, economic and compliance needs to recycle our waste materials,” comments MD Sean Haugh.
He adds: “In our view, recycling vinyl flooring waste not only benefits our customers, but also the whole community by stopping waste being burned or buried. It’s a further step towards Ireland becoming a recycling society.”
Genevieve Tullberg from Kent Flooring sums it up: “No company is free from environmental responsibility and we are delighted to support this scheme while helping our customers do their bit”.
Download a PDF version of the third issue of the Recofloor newsletter .
