Recofloor Newsletter No. 5

Welcome to the fifth issue of the Recofloor newsletter.

In this issue, find out about Hull Flooring’s fast and efficient method for uplifting and relaying vinyl flooring in retail stores. The company is recycling the uplifted material through the Recofloor scheme. Our roving reporter Matthew Charlton went along to Halfords in Newport to see the Hull Flooring team in action for himself.

Recofloor has signed up to the ‘Halving Waste To Landfill’ voluntary agreement which aims to reduce the amount of construction waste that ends up in landfill. Read about the Recofloor scheme’s commitment to the agreement.

This month the team is pleased to welcome several new members to the scheme and Matthew Charlton appeals to all scheme members to store their Recofloor bags on pallets in accessible places, ready for collection.

Halfords Store Floor Saved From Landfill

Commercial flooring company and Recofloor member Hull Flooring is saving tonnes of uplifted material from landfill by participating in the Recofloor scheme. With flooring contracts with companies such as Halfords, BHS, HMV and WH Smith, Hull Flooring recognised the opportunity the scheme offers to save money by reducing waste disposal costs, a cost reduction that it is happy to pass on to its customers.

Sean Dawson, Managing Director of Hull Flooring says: "We saw a big added economic value to what we can offer our clients from recycling and we took this responsibility on board."

Halfords and BHS have both signed up to the scheme already, and other major retailers look set to join them. Hull Flooring is expert in carrying out ‘live’ store flooring renovations and it trialled the Recofloor system when re-flooring Halfords stores, completing 5 to date.

Recofloor team member Matthew Charlton visited the Newport Halfords store to see the re-flooring in action. The operation is quick and easy, causing minimal disruption to staff and customers. The floor is uplifted using a turbo stripper machine and loaded into Recofloor bags stored on pallets, ready for collection whilst fitters prepare the floor and lay new flooring. Shelving and stock can be replaced immediately. This process targets large areas sequentially, meaning it can be completed rapidly.

Matthew was impressed with the operation and explains: "Hull Flooring are very well organised and the whole operation was incredibly quick. The turbo stripper machine cuts through the old flooring like a proverbial knife through butter, and lifts it with minimal screed and adhesive attached - which is excellent as it meets the Recofloor specification perfectly. The fitters work in small teams, loading the uplifted material into Recofloor bags as they go. As they come to the end of a cordonedoff section of the floor, fitters have already begun laying the new floor at the opposite end!"

Jane Gardner, Recofloor scheme Manager, says: "It is fantastic to see large volumes of flooring coming through the scheme through refurbishments like this. By diverting the waste material from landfill, the environment will clearly benefit and companies like Hull Flooring are able to gain a competitive advantage through cost reduction. Instead of being buried in the ground, the material uplifted from these stores is recycled by Recofloor and used to make traffic management equipment such as cones and sign bases."

Recofloor Commits To Halving Landfill Construction Waste

Recofloor has signed up to the voluntary agreement 'Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill' created by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) to reduce construction waste sent to landfill by half by 2012.

More than 215 tonnes of vinyl flooring waste has already been collected since January 2009 under the Recofloor initiative.

Welcoming the move, Recofloor Project Manager Jane Gardner says: "As an established scheme that has gained wide recognition throughout the industry, Recofloor is uniquely positioned to fulfill its commitment as a sector body to working towards the common goal to halve construction waste to landfill by 2012.

"The Recofloor collection service for vinyl flooring offcuts and uplifted vinyl flooring helps companies throughout the supply chain to fulfill their obligations to reducing the amount of waste to landfill."

Recofloor has 220 members involving the whole supply chain from flooring contractors, construction companies and waste transfer stations to retail, educational and PFI sites. With over 30 drop-off sites UK-wide, including seven flooring distributors, Recofloor also helps firms to comply with Site Waste Management Plans.

Tracy Perry of Altro comments: "By collecting and recycling the safety flooring on behalf of the Recofloor scheme, we at Altro are delighted to be able to contribute to reducing the amount of PVC flooring waste that goes to landfill every year. Joining the Construction Commitments Halving Waste to Landfill initiative will help Recofloor increase collection volumes and in the long-term help improve the sustainability of our product."

Sonia Baker of the other founding member adds: "As a founder member of Recofloor, it is important to Polyflor to increase volumes of post consumer waste vinyl flooring that are recycled. The Halving Waste to Landfill Commitment is a great next step for Recofloor and confirms our dedication to a more sustainable practice, which we are proud to be a part of."

All signatories receive a Certificate of Commitment boosting their environmental credentials and can use the Halving Waste to Landfill logo on their corporate literature, which is helpful for gaining new business as Recofloor is often specified as an outlet for waste vinyl flooring in tenders. The Reporting Portal on the WRAP website allows companies to report their waste as part of their corporate responsibility.

Safety flooring offcuts and smooth vinyl offcuts from the installation process are recycled back into new flooring. Uplifted, or end of life, material is used in the manufacture of traffic calming products, such as traffic cone and road barrier bases.

In collaboration with construction firm The Apollo Group, Recofloor is currently developing a strategy to recycle vinyl flooring house refurbishment projects in London.

New Members

Recofloor is delighted to welcome four new members to the scheme:

Northern Flooring,
Heald Green, Cheshire

Medifloors,
Leigh on Sea, Essex

Bailey and Taylor,
Rochford, Essex

Bailey and Taylor,
Colchester, Essex

Bags Must Go On Pallets!

Please can all Recofloor bags be placed on pallets ready for collection. We use a pallet truck and a tail lift vehicle for pick ups. If the bags are not on pallets, they cannot be lifted.

Also, please place bags on pallets in an accessible area for easy collection. For example, pallet trucks are difficult to manoeuvre on gravel and pallets placed on it have sometimes been impossible to pick up. Thank you!

Download a PDF version of the fifth issue of the Recofloor newsletter .