The initiative, first introduced in 2019, provides commercial waste bins around the country where empty recyclable F. Ball buckets and bottles can be disposed of for recycling, for free.
Since joining the scheme last year, Fineweave Carpets in Reading has returned a total of 8,200 plastic bottles for reprocessing that would have otherwise been destined for landfill, equating to over 1,000kg of plastic. It is estimated that this would cost over £8,200 to dispose of through commercially available channels.
Lee Withers, director of Fineweave Carpets, said: “We pride ourselves on doing what we can for the environment, and the F. Ball Recycling Scheme gives us another opportunity to do this whilst also cutting our costs.”
Flooring contractors will also find recycling points at select distributors. Nutlands Carpets, which has branches in Poole and Chandlers Ford, has sent over 3,700 plastic bottles for recycling through the scheme, the equivalent of 481kg of plastic, saving customers more than £3,700 to date.
On the importance of being involved in the initiative, James Smith, managing director of Nutlands Carpets, said: “As a family run distributor, we place great importance on doing our part to reduce the environmental impact of our operations, including being a part of innovative recycling schemes like this.
“Customer service is paramount to us, and by providing the recycling bins we are saving them time and money spent visiting local recycling centres. As a result, we know that some choose to buy F. Ball products from us rather than other wholesalers. We hope that more manufacturers follow F. Ball’s lead in this area.”
F. Ball plastic buckets and the company’s five and 20 litre plastic bottles used for liquids, primers and tackifiers can be recycled via the scheme, with much of the packaging itself manufactured from recycled materials.
The scheme has been steadily expanded in response to a positive reception from flooring contractors, and there are now more than 40 recycling points at wholesaler partners across the UK.
Commenting on the figures, F. Ball sales director Darren Kenyon said: “With continuing high inflation, it’s invaluable to know how to cut costs without compromising on installation quality, and it’s never been more urgent to curb our environmental impact. The F. Ball Recycling Scheme provides an effortless way to do both. We’re delighted by some of the numbers around savings by those benefitting from the scheme, and I encourage more to do the same.”
More information about the F. Ball Recycling Scheme, including participating wholesalers, is available on the company’s website.