World's first safety flooring recycling system

Interior surfaces manufacturer Altro has pioneered the world’s first safety flooring recycling system.

The new process breaks down waste flooring and separates it into component parts, which are then recycled back into safety flooring.

Up until now, it's been almost impossible to recycle safety flooring, due to the abrasive nature of the aggregates which give the flooring its non-slip and durability qualities.

Altro is the only manufacturer to receive the prestigious BREEAM A rating for the sustainability of its safety flooring.

In the recycling system, waste flooring is put through a shredder and then passes through a series of screening tables where the aggregate and fibrous material is recovered.

The PVC is fed into a granulating process which cleans and further reduces it into granules approximately 2mm in size.

The waste aggregate has already been successfully introduced into the manufacturing process.

Altro has now developed methods of incorporating the PVC chip into new safety flooring.

Richard Kahn, chief executive of Altro, said: "Through this innovative process, we believe we have taken the first steps towards truly sustainable safety flooring.

"We already use reclaimed glass in our products, and now we have introduced the recycled aggregate, with a range of products featuring recycled PVC content expected by the end of the year."

The company is already working on the next stage of development of the recycling process.

Working in partnership with WRAP, the government’s recycling body, and Axion Recycling, Altro is looking at ways to collect post installation waste onsite for recycling back into safety flooring products.

A range of Altro safety flooring products containing recycled PVC will be released into the marketplace in the near future.