FEATURED SUCCESS STORY
An encore for old carpet –
CI Select Flooring Solutions helps the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
with reclamation and recycling.
Somewhere, in some form, the carpet removed from Powell Symphony Hall during recent renovations will make a comeback, thanks to the reclamation and recycling service of St. Louis-based CI Select Flooring Solutions.
Last summer, CI Select replaced 5,530 sq. yd. of carpet – enough to cover a regulation-size football field and then some – in the 2,689-seat concert hall and reclaimed more than half of the old carpet, keeping about 3,020 sq. yd. of floor covering out of area landfills.
“Carpet reclamation is one of the many environmentally responsible technologies emerging to serve the construction and renovations industry,” according to Linda Goldstein, General Manager of CI Select Flooring Solutions.
Instead of placing used carpet in the client’s dumpster, where it would eventually be taken to a landfill, CI Select Flooring stores it in its warehouse until it can be shipped to a Starnet-approved Reclamation Service Center. Reclaimed carpet is separated from its backing, and its components are converted into raw materials used to make a variety of things – carpet padding, concrete fillers, plastic-type covers for automobiles or under-the-hood automobile parts. The eventual use depends on the type of carpet involved.
CI Select Flooring Solutions is able to offer one-stop reclamation and recycling service through its membership in Starnet.
“When we pull up existing carpet, none of it goes to a landfill; that’s our company’s policy,” Goldstein said. “It’s an added bonus. We do it automatically as a service to our customers and because we feel we have a responsibility to safeguard the environment.” That commitment to environmental responsibility is reflected in the Starnet Code of Ethics, as are strict standards of product and service quality and professional integrity among its members.
Powell Symphony Hall is a regional cultural landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “When you combine that type of architectural ‘pedigree’ with a cultural organization committed to being responsible to its donors, those strict standards play a key role in completing the project to everyone’s satisfaction. That includes documentation that the carpet was taken to a certified reclamation site, not to a landfill,” Goldstein said.
Cynthia Schon, Facilities Manager for Powell Symphony Hall, specified reclamation as part of the bid process. “I did not require that the carpet had to be removed and reclaimed because I was not certain if that option was available. I was also concerned that it would cost more.” Schon deliberately left the reclamation specifications vague, not requiring documentation (standard with CI Select’s program) or certification of reclamation (also standard) for cost reasons.
“Our budget was so tight,” Schon said. “The documentation is wonderful to have. Fortunately, the good guys are making the good choices, and I was able to achieve all our goals.”
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