Axiom works on a wide variety of commercial, retail and healthcare projects across the UK and acknowledges the benefits that the national vinyl flooring take-back initiative can offer its clients.

This commitment was recognised in the 2013 Recofloor Awards when the Ampthill-based firm took Construction Project of the Year for recovering more than 37.5 tonnes of offcuts from the now-completed £400 million development of North Staffordshire Hospital in Newcastle-under-Lyme – one of the largest PFI projects for health care improvement in the UK.

Close involvement with the Recofloor team in the planning stages throughout the two-year contract, ensured maximum reduction of carbon impact for collections. Backhauling of material reduced vehicle visits to the site as waste material was taken away by trucks delivering new flooring.

The 37.5 tonnes of collected material – equal to an area of two football pitches- produced carbon savings equivalent to driving around the equator 3.5 times in an average family car.

Axiom worked with main contractor Laing O’Rourke Construction installing 66,000m² of new vinyl flooring over four phases at the live hospital site and 6,000m² at retained estates over seven phases.

The main challenges of consolidation, contamination and collection of flooring waste were overcome by tasking one individual with daily collections of recovered vinyl waste from secure lockable containers across the site. Bins were swapped over on a weekly basis.

Bulked-up material from one main collection area was then sent back to flooring manufacturers and Recofloor co-founder, Polyflor for further processing into new products, such as flooring.

The Recofloor scheme supplied several project benefits. In providing a focus for operatives, the daily vinyl collection regime encouraged them to keep their workplaces clean and tidy. In turn, the reduced volume of waste led to lower disposal costs for Laing O’Rourke. Another positive spin-off was the increased recycling of other waste streams, such as cardboard and wrapping materials as a result of raised environmental awareness on site.