Recofloor is transforming the way the construction industry disposes of commercial waste vinyl. Founded by Altro and Polyflor in 2009, Recofloor is a streamlined collection and recycling service creating a circular economy for offcuts, roll-ends and uplifted end-of-life vinyl. The scheme operates across the UK.
Simply by specifying Recofloor from the start of a flooring project, you can play your part in this transformation and ensure that the waste from projects is managed responsibly.
With large flooring projects typically producing substantial quantities of waste, the choices made about vinyl disposal have a big impact on the project’s environmental footprint. Traditionally, vinyl waste has been disposed of through waste contractors that ultimately send the material to landfill or incineration. Yet the material is often ideal for recycling. This gives you as the specifier a great opportunity to make a positive difference.
The Recofloor scheme collects most vinyl flooring types, including Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT), smooth, safety and loose lay vinyl offcuts and roll-ends, and uplifted smooth and loose lay vinyl. To date, Recofloor has collected 7,300 tonnes of waste vinyl, translating to total CO2 savings* of over 8,500 tonnes.
Recofloor also provides further benefits on top of sustainability considerations: it provides contractors with an easy-to-use disposal route that helps on site teams work efficiently, and it works out cheaper than conventional waste disposal.
Why specify Recofloor?
Reduce demand for virgin raw materials
With traditional disposal methods, the materials used to make the vinyl are lost or destroyed. However, vinyl can be recycled up to seven times without any loss of performance. This makes it ideal for a circular economy approach, reducing the need for further extraction and production of raw materials.
All the material collected by Recofloor goes through the recycling process. This involves sorting and granulating the returned PVC to produce ‘raw’ material for use in new products. Both Altro and Polyflor undertake this work at their own plants.
Larger quantities of clean homogenous flooring can then be incorporated into new flooring products.
Material unsuitable for use in new flooring is sent to UK plastic product recyclers for further processing. It is then blended with virgin materials for use in products including traffic cones and sign bases. When used in this way, a proportion of the recycled material replaces more environmentally harmful concrete.
Divert waste from landfill and incineration
Installation waste for new vinyl flooring is typically 10% but can be as high as 20% depending on building design or floor patterns. This means that a typical 2,000m2 installation project can generate over half a tonne of offcuts – clean, unused material that is ideal for recycling.
For luxury vinyl tiles, the amount of waste is less, but is still typically between 3% and 5%.
If there’s also end-of-life flooring to be uplifted, then there’s a good chance a proportion of this will also be suitable for repurposing.
It simply makes no sense to send this material to landfill or incineration when Recofloor’s nationwide service offers a more sustainable alternative that’s simple and cost-effective.
Cut carbon emissions
Whilst the vinyl manufacturing process is the least energy intensive of all flooring products, recycling has a big role to play in minimising emissions further.
Taking the 2,000m2 installation project as an example again, collecting the offcuts for Recofloor will reduce the carbon footprint of the project by up to a tonne.
This considers the comparative emissions used at every stage, from sourcing materials through to packaging and distribution.*
To support lower carbon goals, Recofloor uses reverse logistics to minimise transport emissions. This means that wherever possible, waste is collected by Polyfloor or Altro vans already in the area for delivery runs.
As net zero goals become ever-more important, specifying vinyl recycling is a simple action you can take to support emission reduction targets.
Simplify disposal
For larger projects, Recofloor processes integrate seamlessly into on-site operations. Bulk Recofloor bags (for use on pallets) or lockable bins are provided, with collection and replacement bookable online. This means there’s no need for contractors to transport waste material or store it at their own premises (though collection from contractor premises is also an option).
For day-to-day quantities of waste, contractors can use drop-off points located at participating distributor stores across the country.
Recofloor can also provide clear sacks to help teams collect waste as they go along, before then putting the waste into the bulk bags or bins. All bags, sacks and bins are clearly labelled for the different waste categories, making it easy to keep the categories separate – an important factor in successful recycling.
To implement Recofloor, contractors simply need to sign up online and agree collection arrangements. For larger projects, the Recofloor team will assess the site and advise as to the best approach. They are also happy to offer advice, resources and Toolkit Talks to explain the scheme to teams on site.
Recofloor can collect bulk waste in one go, or at stages during a project.
Reduce costs
Recofloor is a great example of where doing the right thing for the environment works out cheaper. Contractors using the scheme see big savings compared to landfill fees or skipping. Going back to the 2000m2 example, Recofloor bulk bags would cost just £52.50. That’s a remarkable 79% saving against an eight cubic yard skip priced at a typical £255.
And for disposal of day-to-day quantities at drop-off points, there’s no charge.
Support contractors’ sustainability journeys
Increasingly, firms within the construction industry are looking to reduce the environmental impact of their activities. Many are working towards net zero targets. Introducing contractors to Recofloor through your specifications is a great way to help them on their sustainability journeys and spread knowledge of the scheme more widely.
In addition, contractors using Recofloor benefit from proof of their commitment to sustainability. Recofloor can supply evidence of collection volumes and CO2 savings, which firms can use when applying for environmental industry awards, certificates or BREEAM certification points – all of which can help them win more business. And the Recofloor annual awards give participants the opportunities to celebrate team success and raise profile of the business.
Recofloor success stories
As word spreads, Recofloor is notching up an increasing number of success stories. Participants often become strong advocates for the scheme, finding that it’s easy to use and aligns with their own environmental goals.
Weldon Village Academy: BAM Construct UK and Hillside Contracts
Flooring contractor Hillside Contracts, working with main contractor BAM Construct UK, collected 1.41 tonnes of material in offcuts from a new 3,000 m2 flooring installation at Weldon Village Academy in Northamptonshire. This saved around 1.65 tonnes of CO2 emissions*. Lockable Recofloor bins were placed in a central area, easily reached from all parts of the building. This helped the fitters work quickly and efficiently. Clear signage plus briefings for other trades ensured the bins were used only for offcuts and that the material was kept free from contamination. Upon completion, Bam Construct UK received a Recofloor collection certificate highlighting the volumes collected and CO2 savings.
Baird Family Hospital: Graham Construction and Veitchi Flooring
This 23,000m2 Polyflor installation at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary’s new Baird Family Hospital and Anchor Centre was due to produce around 2,300 m2 in offcuts – an area similar in size to 10 tennis courts. Flooring contractors Veitchi, working alongside main contractors Graham Construction, recognised the Recofloor scheme offered the best way to avoid this massive amount of material going to landfill or incineration.
Key operational plans included using telescopic forklifts to lift Recofloor bins to upper external levels, then wheeling the bins into the building as needed. This ensured fitters could dispose of waste easily as work progressed. Ed Murison, Contracts Manager at Veitchi Flooring, comments: “Recycling vinyl is a no-brainer, and the Recofloor scheme makes it simple.”
As of today, Veitchi Flooring has collected 6.3 tonnes of vinyl with more vinyl to save on ongoing work.
Wythenshaw Hospital – ALM Construction and Lees Heginbotham
A ward refurbishment at Wythenshawe hospital presented multiple challenges for flooring contractor Lees Heginbotham, working with main contractor ALM Construction. Initial plans to take material to a waste contractor in multiple van loads would have seen the vinyl end up in landfill or incineration. This option would also have required fitters to spend valuable time not only loading, driving, unloading and cleaning the vans, but also carrying waste material up and down hospital corridors. In addition, it would have risked spreading dirt and dust around areas of the hospital still in use.
Recofloor provided the perfect solution, delivering four lockable wheelie bins that were deployed on the ward itself; two for used for uplifted smooth vinyl, and two for offcuts. When each stage of work was completed, the bins were simply rolled along the corridors to external doors and out to the agreed collection point. This removed concerns about cleanliness and mess, saved time, and resulted in almost 3 tonnes of material being collected for recycling.
“This was our first time using the Recofloor onsite collection service,” explains Andrew Wright from Lees Heginbotham. “We were already existing Recofloor members and knew that using Recofloor helps the environment and saves us money. We’ve now discovered that it’s also the easiest way to manage waste disposal on large projects!”
Dixons Academy: Morgan Sindall and Rhodar
As demolition contractor for Morgan Sindall’s Dixons Newall Green Academy project in Manchester, Rhodar was responsible for uplifting and disposing of old vinyl flooring in the buildings being demolished and replaced. “When we heard about Recofloor from Morgan Sindall, we could see immediately that the scheme made sense,” says John Duggan, Rhodar’s Senior Contracts Manager. “We have always maximised re-use and recycling, and we are also now on a net zero pathway.” A Recofloor site survey confirmed that around 20% of the uplifted material was recyclable, and bulk bags were delivered for on-site use, successfully collecting 180Kgs of waste. Morgan Sindall and Rhodar each also received a collection certificate and have benefited from publicity via a Recofloor a case study.
How to specify Recofloor
We suggest including the following wording in your specifications to explain the scheme:
“Recofloor is the national commercial waste vinyl collection service founded in 2009 by flooring manufacturers Altro and Polyflor. The scheme collects smooth, safety and Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) post-installation offcuts as well as loose lay, uplifted smooth vinyl and roll-ends, and recycles it into new products including flooring.
The scheme operates in two ways. Collections can be made directly from project sites and contractors’ premises, whilst small volumes of day-to-day waste vinyl can be taken to participating flooring distributor drop off points, located across the UK.
Recofloor is easy to use and provides the industry with a sustainable and economical route for the disposal of waste vinyl.
New users can join Recofloor by signing up at www.recofloor.org.”
A more sustainable future for flooring
Recofloor Manager Carla Eslava has seen the scheme grow in popularity over the years. Stressing that the scheme is far more than a collection service, she says: “Recofloor has become central to the sustainability commitments of a growing number of businesses in the flooring sector. By embracing recycling through Recofloor, businesses and organisations enhance green credentials, cut disposal costs, and contribute to a greener future for the construction industry.”
Recofloor’s founders Altro and Polyflor continue to fund the scheme. Both remain committed to advancing circular economy goals, fostering sustainability, and expanding Recofloor operations throughout the UK.
To play your part, start specifying Recofloor for your flooring projects now, and make sure the vinyl waste gets a new life rather than becoming an environmental problem. It’s a simple but effective way to both improve sustainability and performance and save money – on every project.
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Together, let’s transform the future of flooring with Recofloor!
*Emissions calculations are based on multiple factors, including volumes collected, distance travelled, transport vehicles’ efficiency, and the material processing and recycling process of displacing concrete in traffic management products, the primary application for the recycled flooring.
