The stakeholders have formed an alliance called Carpet Recycling UK, which has 15 founding members, including the UK's first carpet recycler, Swindon-based Greenback Recycling.
In particular she highlighted the impact that Site Waste Management Plans, introduced earlier this month, (see letsrecycle.com story) might have on demand for recycling services, with landfill charges also boosting interest in the sector.
“Market evaluation has demonstrated that the cost of collecting and sorting residential carpets can be offset by savings in landfill charges,” the organisation claims.
“There is already widespread demand amongst local authorities nationwide for this service, especially given the increase in the landfill tax escalator from April 2008”
The body has identified a number of priorities, which include increasing government awareness of the sector to allow for more support to be made available from recycling agencies and regulators, as well providing information for both members of the public and industry members relating to carpet recycling.
In the short-term, Ms Atkinson explained that two key goals would be targeted in the first six months of the alliance's existence.
She revealed that “the first is to explore the market for under-developed fibres, such as wool-rich carpets, and the second is to establish a technical feasibility study on size reduction for bitumen-backed carpet tiles”, with shredding one of a number of methods to be explored.
In the medium-term is it also looking to establish a system of accreditation for carpet recyclers, which it hopes will support carpet recycling companies, and provide accurate information for anyone looking to use them.
Despite the relatively small size of the carpet recycling sector, Ms Atkinson explained that she was positive about its future growth, and as a result the prospects for the alliance.
“There's a lot of interest in it, and we expect it to grow quickly,” she said.
Subscribe for free