Recycled Carpets Can Become a Game Changer for Greener Facility Management
If there is any question about the relevancy of recycled carpeting in your day-to-day life as a Facility Manager, let’s first explore an alarming statistic.
According to The Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE), workers dump close to 5 billion pounds of carpet into landfills each year. Fortunately though there has been an outgrowth in recyclable carpeting technology and efforts. Manufacturers are now redesigning carpets from the ground up and utilizing recycled PET polyester, wool, and other eco-friendly materials.
Recycled Carpets: Cleaning and Maintenance
Geyen Group states that there are benefits to choosing polyester-recycled carpets: they are stronger and more stain resistant. So, instead of buying the cheapest nylon carpeting for your facility, consider investing in carpets with stronger constructions.
Fred Heckman says that “recycled carpet is actually much easier to clean and dries more quickly than residential jute-backed carpet, in this Q&A on carpet cleaning. The IICRC also states that recycled carpets usually cost less over time to clean and maintain than hardwood floors. In addition, recycled carpets can be cleaned using normal professional extraction methods.
Cost of Recycled Carpeting
Recycled carpets can actually be less expensive in the long run. Natural, more sustainable fabrics can run more expensive at first, but as a reminder, their life cycle is longer.
As this Facilities Net article states, “ongoing maintenance expenses can account for 50 to 70 percent of total costs. The carpet that appears to be a great deal less expensive at first actually can cost substantially more over the course of several years.”
In addition, the California Government subsidizes and promotes recycled carpeting through programs like CalRecycle. This can offset the cost and other fees that may arise with recycled carpets. So, if you choose to incorporate recycled carpets in your facilities, CalRecycle and CARE are incentivizing the eco-friendly option.
Green Initiatives Through Recycled Carpets
Now, as stated by Facilities Net, “the average building wastes 30% of the energy it consumes.” And although recycled carpets won’t boost energy savings, it does establish a “benchmark for greenness” as Karen Kroll suggests in the same article.
This means that more facilities establish a dialogue around more sustainable office places. You can also see this as a “quick win” for sustainability, if you replace small sections of your facility with recycled carpeting.
According to Clean Link, more and more facilities are utilizing sustainable carpet tiles for their high traffic areas. So this is definitely something you should consider as a facilities manager.
Being as informed as possible on the myriad benefits of sustainable carpeting can only help you make a positive impact as a facilities manager. We can help with any additional questions you may have!
Every successful company needs a versatile systems specialist with the ability to adeptly orchestrate account startups and deploying technologies at customer sites. With a strong focus providing infrastructure and technological solutions to service delivery teams, Andres is meticulous at mastering the art of contract compliance. As a key member of Medallion’s innovation committee, Andres leads Medallion’s business certifications and operational excellence programs, such as CIMS and ISO compliance.
Mark
Mark
Sr. VP of Regional Operations – National Accounts & Culinary
Few known tenured professionals have had the success that Mark Cornish has earned as knowledgeable and resourceful operator. Mark oversees maintenance programs at a national level and provides another layer of support to our VPs of Operations. As an operational guru, Mark is a master of meeting customer financial objectives while ensuring that customers receive the highest level of service across our service channels. His expertise lies in developing and implementing quality service methods and procedures, optimizing operational efficiency for complex manufacturing sites and campus environments, primarily in the janitorial and culinary space.
Daryl
Daryl
Regional VP Operations – High Tech & Institutional Environments
Leveraging over “x” years of experience in the facility service industry, Daryl stands out by a distinguished track record of unmatched customer experience. Daryl has earned the reputation of a trusted collaborator capable of brining operational stability to the most challenging environments. In addition to having depth of knowledge in building maintenance, he also runs Medallion’s mailroom and event management division.
Elias
Elias
EVP, Chief Sustainability Ambassador
Elias brings extensive business operations expertise and leadership to Medallion as he provides direct oversight of the Executive Team. As Medallion’s Chief Sustainability Ambassador, he champion’s our sustainability initiatives around waste management, green cleaning and maintenance of controlled environments. Elias is TRUE Zero Waste certified, IICRC certified, and has been trained in infectious disease by GBCAI.
