Recofloor reaches major 6,000-tonne milestone

A whopping 6,000 tonnes of waste vinyl flooring has been collected through Recofloor since the scheme was founded in 2009 by flooring manufacturers Polyflor and Altro.

Offering a sustainable collection service for commercial waste vinyl flooring, the material is recycled back into new flooring, as well as traffic calming products. For post-consumer waste, Recofloor is regarded as a great example of the circular economy in construction.

To date, Recofloor’s collection of 6,000 tonnes of waste vinyl flooring has produced 7,038 tonnes of carbon savings – equivalent to taking 1,837 cars off the road for a year.

It also equates to two million square metres of vinyl flooring having been recycled – enough to cover 276 football pitches. The carbon savings estimate is based on displacing concrete in traffic management products, the primary application for the recycled flooring.

Recofloor Scheme Manager Carla Eslava said: “It is a magnificent achievement that truly reflects the enthusiasm, engagement and commitment of our members. Well done to all our collectors!

“Despite the ongoing challenges, our participants, contractors and distributors have continued to support and grow the scheme across the UK. Thanks to them, we look forward to celebrating our next collection milestone.”

Latest data for 2021 shows that a total of 578 tonnes of waste vinyl flooring was collected through Recofloor, saving 678 tonnes of carbon emissions that year.

Polyflor’s Sustainability Market Manager Sonia Goode added: “We are proud to be green, and especially proud of our Recofloor members who are working hard and contributing to our vision to reduce carbon emissions across all of our operations. Recycling waste vinyl through Recofloor is a key aspect to achieve this.”

The scheme accepts both installation offcuts and uplifted smooth and loose lay vinyl, as well as Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVTs) and safety offcuts and roll-ends.