Councils urged to segregate carpet at HWRCs

Councils are being urged to adopt dedicated carpet waste containers at civic amenity sites by carpet recycling trade body Carpet Recycling UK.

The organisation which represents carpet producers, distributors and recyclers is calling on councils to help the industry boost the volume of carpet waste collected in the UK. Waste carpet currently comprises 11% of residual waste collected at civic amenity sites each year.

Carpet Recycling UK last year outlined plans to tackle the 500,000 tonnes of carpet waste landfilled each year by adopting an ambitious target of reducing waste to landfill by 25% 2015 (see letsrecycle.com story)

And, in the three years since the trade body was formed, landfill diversion rates in the sector have risen from 1.5% of material to 9%.

The trade body claimed that the key to boosting this figures is carpet waste being kept dry and separate from other waste, which is why it is calling on councils to make provisions for residents to dispose of the material separate to other waste streams.

Jane Gardner, Carpet Recycling UK coordinator, said: With only seven years of landfill space left in the UK, local authorities can make a huge difference by making the right of facilities available to boost waste carpet recycling.

Ms Gardner, who works for Axion Consulting – which manages the trade association – added that the 19 specialist carpet recycling firms in the UK should help councils to find sustainable outlets for material. The advent of 19 specialist recyclers is a marked rise from the six that were in operation when the trade association formed in 2008.

Given the severe pressure on UK landfill availability and the publics willingness to recycle more, making this provision represents an excellent opportunity to both protect the environment and increase resource for recyclers, she said.

Furthermore, Ms Gardner pointed to the example set by Rutland county council in conjunction with Lincolnshire-based waste management firm Mid-UK, which have worked together to divert bulky materials such as mattresses and carpets from landfill.

Rutland has introduced dedicated containers for separation of containers and mattresses at all civic amenity sites and the county council has commissioned Mid-UK to process the waste to produce flock for energy recovery from residuals that cannot be separated.