Carpet Recycling UK’s significant achievements in finding new uses for waste carpet have been recognised with an Innovation Gold Award for Landfill Diversion in the Environmental Category of the National Flooring Innovations Awards 2018.
Supported by The Stocklists magazine, the awards celebrate products and services that are genuinely new and exceptional within the flooring sector.
Set up in 2008 by industry leaders, CRUK has inspired and facilitated the diversion of one million tonnes of waste carpet in its first decade – equivalent to approximately 410 million m2 of carpet or 57,000 football pitches.
CRUK works with the supply chain to develop viable and sustainable solutions for the 400,000 tonnes of carpet waste that arise annually in the UK. The association has helped to increase landfill diversion of carpets from 2% to 42% (168,000 tonnes) over the last ten years. Its goal is 60% landfill diversion by 2020.
“We are delighted to have been recognised by the flooring industry with this Gold Award for Environmental Innovation. It is particularly important as we celebrate our tenth year of continuous increase in landfill diversion of carpets to recycling and energy recovery,” says CRUK Director Laurance Bird.
“It’s a major achievement, which has led to a million tonnes less carpet burdening landfills. Innovation is seen in all leading flooring businesses as creative teams strive for sustainability, and reap the rewards of success.”
Thanking the industry for its support, Laurance adds: “All this would not have been possible without the on-going commitment and strong backing from our core funders and members. Their dedication has paid off in changing the perception of carpet waste to a valuable raw material resource that can be given a ‘second life’ in a variety of new reuse, recycling and energy recovery outlets.”