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Carpet-burns on : Sustainability

In these times of rapidly rising world population, increasing demand on scarce resources, and continued pollution, sustainability is quickly becoming the dominant issue of our time. It is an issue which each of us, individuals and as institutional representatives, should address in our daily lives.“Sustainability represents a balance that accommodates human needs without diminishing the health of productivity or natural systems”
We are reaching a critical time for waste and recycling, with the environment now being at the forefront of the government’s agendas. Shortly new legislations will be in place that make the carpet industry responsible for the design and disposal of carpet waste, having a significant impact on the industry.

Waste carpet

Carpet waste accounts for an estimated 2% of all land filled waste although as a percentage this is not high, carpet has a high volume to weight. Carpet typically lasts for 7 to 10 years (residential) or 5 to 8 years (commercial).

Re-carpeting accounts for 55% of all carpet sold. It is estimated that carpet can take up to two hundred and fifty thousand years to bio degrade.

• PP accounts for approximately 30% of all carpet fibers used.

• Belgian and Dutch imports account for 65% of carpet sold in the UK, and the majority contain a PP fraction

• Landfill tax is set to rise annually by £3 per tonne, making recycling increasingly important.
  

“The main ecological threat is the disposal of post consumer waste; Legislation is likely to make manufactures responsible for this over the next few years. The problem will be identification of pile types and collection and transport to processing facilities”
David Whitefoot, technical director, Carpet Foundation.

Benefits to carpet industry:

• We are there environmental policy

• Helps them minimize waste

• Helps control damage to environment

• Promotes them as being ecological to a growing eco consumer market

Buying from Carpet-Burns is not only the perfect way to show your commitment to the environment, but also a fun and unique way to show that you buy recycled.