Carpet Recycling in Perspective

Carpet Recycling in Perspective

Our decision to feature carpet recycling in this issue raises questions that have been widely debated recently about the value and importance of recycling. The broader environmental issues surrounding this debate are both complex and intriguing, and more involved than we dare get into here. An article in

The New York Times Magazine last June argued strongly against recycling, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, among many others, issued a convincing rebuttal. If you’re interested, both the original article and NRDC’s report are available online: www.igc.org/nrdcpro/recyc/recyinx.html

Looking at carpet recycling in particular, we have to acknowledge that in the current state of the industry, many efforts at carpet recycling may well be on shaky ground. When it comes to a careful analysis of all the environmental costs and benefits, there is a lot of expense and pollution for relatively little gain. The fact is that many carpets are collected and transported long distances, only to be reprocessed, using yet more energy, into relatively low-value end products such as soundproofing fibers or traffic stops. To suggest, however, that the industry’s recycling efforts are a waste of time is to miss the longer view.

No one is suggesting that carpet recycling as it now exists is what it should be. Rather, today’s programs are barely more than pilot projects, testing the feasibility of technologies and logistical systems. The more established programs have already been through several cycles of modifications and adjustments, but they are far from mature. It will take much more widespread participation, and improved technologies, before carpet recycling really makes both economic and environmental sense—but it’s only by doing it now that those improvements can come.

At the same time, keeping the limitations of recycling in mind is important so that even better options are not overlooked. If a carpet is in good condition, it is far better to have it properly cleaned and reused, rather than reprocessed into some other product. A resurfacing program like Milliken’s is a step above recycling—and it would be even better if it could be done locally, rather than at one central facility. But even reuse is only the best option after the decision was already made to purchase the product in the first place. When specifying a floorcovering, the “reduce” rule still comes first—if a floor system doesn’t require that extra layer, leave it out, no matter how easily it might be recycled.

– Nadav Malin