PVC flooring recycled in new Recovinyl trial

The PVC industry-funded organisation is supporting Maidstone-based Tarkett-Marley Floors Ltd to take back PVC floor tiles that have been replaced from some of the larger hospitals in the UK.

Flooring waste from Addenbrookes Hospital (top) is being sorted for transport to Tarkett's recycling plant in Luxembourg, where it is made into backing (bottom) to be applied to new flooring and carpets at Tarkett Marley Floors' factory in Kent

Hospitals in Coventry, Romford and Cambridge are already on the scheme, and if the trial is deemed a success, it will be expanded to smaller hospitals – and potentially retail outlets.

Contractors installing new flooring at hospitals will be provided with cages in which to collect the old PVC material. Collected material is taken to Tarkett-Marley's parent company, Tarkett, in Luxembourg.

Pete Thomas, environment and quality manager for Tarkett-Marley, said: “We are already working with major retailers, construction companies and PFI initiatives such as hospitals. We know there are significant quantities of material available for recycling.”

Recycling
Tarkett's PVC recycling plant plant in Luxembourg is capable of handling 30,000 tonnes of post-industrial flooring waste each year. Material reprocessed at the facility is turned into backing for either new vinyl flooring or PVC backed carpet.

Recovinyl – which offers financial incentives for the collection and recycling of PVC products – has welcomed the scheme, since it marks a diversification from the PVC window and roofing product recycling schemes it has concentrated on so far.

Roger Morton, project manager at Recovinyl, said: “We are excited about Tarkett's initiative as this type of flooring recycling is a particular focus for us. They have set a great example with this creative project.”