Vanheede Carpet Recycling is the environmental partner for the OPTIMUM project. This take-back system for carpet tiles in France was designed in collaboration with the French union of carpet makers (UFTM) and the national union of technical floor coverings and French buildings federation (UNRST-FFB).
OPTIMUM aims to offer a sustainable and global solution for textile flooring. To do this, we recover and upgrade used carpet tiles collected during building renovation work and carpet tile off-cuts from new-builds.
The OPTIMUM take-back system is fully operational as far as used carpet tiles are concerned, mainly in the Paris region, and aims to rapidly expand to all of France for all types of textile flooring.
Furthermore, the European Carpet and Rug Association (ECRA) are now planning to extend the take-back system Europe-wide.
The main aims of OPTIMUM are:
to reduce the environmental impact of the production, distribution and laying of textile flooring;
to offer viable and sustainable alternatives for recyclable or reusable textile waste;
to abide by European directives in the field of waste management and the recommendations of France's Grenelle Environment Forum.
Vanheede Carpet Recycling issues a ‘Sustainable Solution Certificate’ to the owner of the waste who is generally the client. This certificate confirms the traceability and the sustainability of waste processing. So we offer a sustainable solution for the management of waste for architects, project foremen, coordinators and construction entrepreneurs.
The OPTIMUM take-back system offers a simple and flexible service. Used carpet tiles are collected straight from the work site in big bags or on pallets (a maximum of 200 m² of carpet tiles per support). The big bag is also the perfect solution for collecting and transporting off-cuts.
On the logistics side, we work with KTO. This firm handles all the transport, from removal from work sites to delivery to Vanheede Alternative Fuels where the used carpet tiles are shredded and converted into high-quality alternative fuel.
A study into the recycling of carpet tiles with a bitumen backing showed that more than 50% of the materials can be recovered; the rest is upgraded from an energy viewpoint.
