Leigh Fibers has established a dedicated business unit, Leigh Carpet & Plastics Recycling LLC, to divert discarded carpet and plastic from landfills and turn it into fibers and densified products used by plastics molders. Current and near-term equipment will give the operation the capacity to keep more than 100 million pounds of used carpet out of landfills annually, according to Leigh Fibers.

“Every ton of carpet we can recycle saves 198 gallons of oil and prevents the emission of two metric tons of greenhouse gases,” said George Martin, exec vp marketing and sales for Leigh Fibers. “Our goal is to reduce the nearly 3.5 million pounds of post-consumer carpet waste that goes into landfills each year, while giving customers the high-quality materials they need to mold new products.”

The new venture in Spartanburg, S.C., is already reprocessing the most common carpet fibers - Nylon 6, Nylon 6.6, polypropylene, and polyester - at a one million sq. ft. facility. “Reprocessing plastics and carpet is a natural extension for a company that’s been reprocessing textile fibers for much of the last century,” said Martin, “and we expect it to play a significant role in Leigh’s future growth. We’ve been refining our processes for the past several years and are ready to be a major supplier in this market, as we are in our other markets.”

Leigh Fibers is a global processor of textile waste and fiber by-products, serving the automotive, construction, erosion control, home furnishings, nonwovens and other industries. The company has diverted over 12 billion pounds of waste materials from landfills during its 97 year history, and imports and exports materials with more than 25 countries. For more information, visit www.leighfibers.com or call (864) 439-4111.