Since launching Recofloor in Scotland just under six months ago, Headlam Scotland is turning the UK’s award-winning vinyl flooring recycling scheme into a real success story north of the border.

More than 10 tonnes of waste vinyl flooring has been collected by the firm, Scotland’s largest floorcovering wholesaler and distributor, at its North Lanarkshire premises since April 2011. This figure represents some 3.5% of the total waste collected by Recofloor this year.

Collected material is sent back to flooring manufacturers and Recofloor founders, Altro and Polyflor for further processing. Clean offcuts are reprocessed back into new vinyl flooring. Smooth uplifted flooring is used to make traffic management products such as traffic cone bases and speed bumps.

Headlam Scotland has operated from its Eurocentral headquarters since 1997 and is the first distributor to launch Recofloor in Scotland. Recofloor bins have been installed at its site to accept off-cuts from fitters, making it easy for them to dispose of waste when they arrive to pick up new flooring and supplies.

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Waste vinyl flooring off-cuts are also being collected from the new £840 million New South Glasgow Hospital Campus – the biggest single NHS hospital building project ever undertaken in Scotland. Due for completion in 2016 on the site of the existing Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, the 14-floor building will have 1,109 beds, 20 operating theatres and is expected to treat 110,000 patients every year.

Headlam Scotland provides one-tonne bags for collecting waste off-cuts from the hospital site. The collection process is overseen on site by its key client, Edinburgh-based Recycling and Services. When full, the bags are returned to Headlam’s premises for bulking up before being sent for recycling.

On November 2nd, Headlam Scotland will be hosting one of Recofloor's nationwide 'Bacon Butty' events aimed at encouraging more flooring contractors and distributors to join the scheme. Customers can drop in to its North Lanarkshire premises to receive a voucher for a bacon sandwich from a local named supplier and find out how they can participate.

Recofloor representatives Matthew Charlton or Megan Gaffney will be available to explain more about the scheme. New Recofloor members also receive starter packs that include material specification, collection bags, a brochure and Certificate of Commitment.

Chris Pickles, Commercial Director Headlam Scotland: "As Scotland's largest floorcovering distributor, we realised that there was increased demand for making this industry greener and felt we could lead the way by taking the first steps.

"Although it's early days yet, we are delighted to report that we have already collected more than 10 tonnes of recyclable material through the Recofloor scheme."

(CD)