Manufacturers back carpet recycling plant

While the plant is to be used initially to recycle pre-consumer waste from carpet factories, trials have been carried out to see if post-consumer carpets could be recycled.

Carpets have been one of the household items that for many years have had no potential for recycling in the UK. But, with a growing awareness of producer responsibility and the likelihood that future legislation could impact on the carpet industry, the manufacturers have decided to see if the Knowsley project will bring results.

As a result of their investment in the plant, the firms are able to send their waste for recycling free, while other industry members have to pay. A group support is needed for the project to help make it viable – there is no UK carpet maker that is large enough to be able to run its own recycling plant to handle its production and association waste.

Latex removal
Run WM Fibres, a subsidiary of Wrace Technology, the plant is using Italian machinery specially designed to deal with a range of carpets and able to remove the latex which effectively glues the component parts of a carpet together.

WM Fibres financial director Les Couzens, said that the key to the success of the plant was finding a successful end market for the product. “At present we are having some success in sending our recycled product, which is mainly fibres, for use in mattress making, sound proofing and other uses for felt-like materials.”

Some trials on domestic carpet waste have been carried out with landfill tax funding and the support of SITA and Mersey Waste. While the material was recycled problems of dust and contamination were at a level significant enough to prevent more such waste being recycled at present.

Domestic waste
“We are still at early stages and the pre-consumer waste is allowing to develop the facility,” explained Mr Couzens. But, he did not rule out the recycling of carpets from the domestic waste stream at some point in the future. “The carpets would have to be free from contaminants and not wet,” he added.

WM Fibres says that while it has had considerable private investment, it has struggled to attract government and EU support for the project. “Funding is difficult for us and we are annoyed that there is a lack of government and institutional support for a project which will tackle a neglected part of the waste stream,” said Mr Couzens.