Forterra extends PPE recycling programme

Forterra, a building materials manufacturer, has announced that its textile and PPE recycling program is being rolled out to all its manufacturing facilities following a successful trial at its Kings Dyke site.
 
 

Forterra has seventeen manufacturing sites where they produce building materials including bricks, blocks, paving and roofing. The PPE recycling scheme will operate in all their facilities in partnership with shredding specialist Avena. Instead of incinerating or sending old uniforms and PPE to landfills, they are shredded. The materials extracted are used in a number of products including insulation. Some of the textiles are turned into chips that are used in energy generation. 
 
Staff based off-site will also be able to use the recycling facilities to dispose of used uniforms and PPE whenever they come to one of Forterra’s manufacturing plants. 
 
The head of sustainability at Forterra, David Manley, has said:
 
"Some 350,000 tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill each year, and we’re delighted that Forterra will no longer be contributing to this figure."
 

Avena does not use landfills for any of the waste textiles they process. They offer recycling services for garments and textiles throughout the UK. The company claims that they are the only UK organisation offering shredding as an alternative to landfill disposal or incineration for waste textiles. 
 
The PPE and textile recycling scheme is part of Forterra’s ambitious sustainability goals. They aim to reduce carbon emissions by 32% by 2030. Solar farms will generate 70% of the company’s electricity by 2025.