Tuscumbia, Ala. -- Flexco announced, at NeoCon 2019, the expansion of the IMPACT Recycling Program to purchasers of the company's rubber flooring effectively closing the loop between manufacture, use and recycling of qualifying flooring materials.

“In today’s marketplace, sustainability issues are a key consideration in specifying products used in commercial construction,” said Ann Dougherty, Roppe Holding Company general manger of sustainability. “As the nation’s landfills continue to grow, we knew we had to find new alternatives for products once they have exhausted their use in schools, healthcare facilities, hotels and office buildings.”

Through IMPACT, qualified flooring products will be diverted from landfills, incinerators and oceans. Recycled rubber is chopped and cut into one of three primary products: landscaping mulch, playground surfacing or rubber crumb for athletic fields and other applications.

Brian DuBois, FLEXCO national sales manager, added, “The end-product is a cost-effective rubber mulch that simultaneously promotes the environment and provides a beautiful, durable landscaping alternative or an eye-catching playground surfacing that is the cleanest and safest in America.”

Using the IMPACT Program can help gain LEED certification for building design. The Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification process requires that the building attain points for various green attributes, including energy savings, materials usage, indoor environmental quality and efficient water usage. Points are given for reusing materials, using materials with recycled content and recycling the waste that is produced at the construction site.

Different levels of certification can be attained depending on the number of points the building gains. Even if LEED certification is not the goal of the building owner, committing to recycling a certain percentage of the materials generated at a jobsite will generate significant environmental benefits for any project.

A three-step collection procedure simplifies the IMPACT recycling process: (1) Product should be removed from the existing installation and prepared for return shipment; (2) Although no intensive scraping to remove the adhesive is needed, removal of large pieces of glue or other subfloor debris is recommended; (3) Product should be stacked on a pallet as neatly as possible or collected in a “Gaylord” container.

For more information, visit www.flexcofloors.com.