After researching what it takes to recycle old carpet into new carpet, my perceptions on carpet recyclers changed. In the past, I always thought of carpet recycling as a win–win situation all around. Now only does this have a positive environmental impact, but carpet manufacturers can reuse old materials without having to purchase new raw materials for their products. Carpet recyclers can also recycle carpet into other plastic products which works well from a financial standpoint. Why wouldn’t they do it?

In actuality, there is a lot more to recycling carpet than what you would think. First, you have to consider the workers that have to remove old carpet from buildings, then transport and sort it. This is not a pretty job. I probably don’t have to tell you about all the dirt, dust, allergens, bugs, mold, and what not that can be found in old carpet. Imagine dealing with large amounts of this on a daily basis. Next, you have to consider some of the late hours that many of these carpet recyclers are required to put in due to the nature of their work. For many commercial carpet removal jobs, workers must complete the job overnight or on weekends so that the business can be up and running the next business day.

In addition to the labor aspects of carpet recycling, you have to consider the expensive machinery required to complete the recycling process. Each piece of the carpet needs to be separated (the backing, fibers, adhesives, and so on) which requires advanced technology. In addition, when new carpet fibers are introduced to the market, carpet recyclers must adapt quickly to find new recycling methods to support these fibers.

I now have a great respect for all manufacturers that recycle carpet as well as the workers that actually dig in and do the dirty work. For what it takes to recycle carpet, I think carpet recyclers deserve a “hats off” for going the extra mile to protect our planet.