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.
Fibers opens Carpet & Plastics Recycling unit
October 19, 2010
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