Carpet recycling project begins in Maine

The staff of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the town of Warren, Maine, and Triumvirate Environmental have begun work to prepare for the removal and shipment of 27,000 tons of carpet-like fiber to a recycling facility in Pennsylvania.

The carpeting was meant for the construction of shot-and-sound containment berms at a former rifle range, though it was never used and is considered a fire hazard. The Maine DEP says finding acceptable solutions for cleaning up this site has been a long process for the town and the DEP.

“This was a win-win for the environment and the economy,” Gov. Paul LePage says. “I applaud the [DEP] for seeking proposals that promoted a sustainable economy and cleaned up the environment.

“This project shows that environmental stewardship and job creation can be done together. By viewing the fiber as a resource, Triumvirate Environmental has created a value-added product to what was once considered waste,” LePage adds.

Commissioner Patricia Aho made it a top priority for the DEP and after looking at multiple approaches issued requests for proposals last year for the removal of the material with the provision that it could not be landfilled, according to a news release. The contract was awarded to Triumvirate Environmental of Somerville, Massachusetts.

At no cost to the state, the company plans to turn the discarded carpet-like material into commercial building materials.

Aho says, "The department sought innovative solutions, and Triumvirate Environmental's proposal to turn the fiber into a composite lumber is truly a prime example of how to beneficially use materials. I'm also pleased that because of DEP actions, the town of Warren will finally have this property cleaned up so it can be put back into productive use.”

Triumvirate says it plans to begin removing some of the more easily accessible material this fall. A more aggressive removal schedule will begin in April 2015.

The provisions of the contract call for all of the uncovered fiber material, which poses the greatest fire hazard, to be removed from the site by April 2017.