Phone Interviews

Eco-$mart

888-329-2705

Customer Service

9/6/11 @ 10:16 am

Matt Ross

How are the carpets made?

By machine from materials obtained around the world.  The Recycled PET Carpet is made like typical nylon carpet from anywhere else.

Where do you get the materials from?

Sea Grass and Wool come from various areas, but mainly New Zealand.  The Recycled PET Carpet gets it's products from GA and is also made there.  The PET Carpet is sold basically everywhere carpet is sold, you just have to ask for it.  The other materials are shipped in from over seas.

Do you ship out of state?

Yes, we do.  We pass a lot of our products off to other companies.

How much does it cost for the various carpets?

PET is about $1.50 to $2.50 a square foot.  Bio-floor and Wool is $4 to $5 a square foot.  Sea Grass is $2.50 to $3 a square foot.

How much do you sell of the carpets yearly?

Little carpet is sold because the main focus of Eco-$mart is commerical lighting, solar water heating, bamboo cabinets, and more.

Which carpet type sells best?

That would be the PET Carpet because of the cost.  It's the cheapest of the materials.

Are there any negatives to the carpet?

Yes, carpet doesn't help with the indoor air quality, and that is why we try to recommend customers to buy the hard surfaces for their flooring needs.

Would I be able to get some samples?

No, because we sell so little of the products that we only produce them when needed.  Go and look at local carpet places to get PET and Wool carpet samples.

Infiltrator Systems

859-556-0786

9/6/11 @ 10:26 am

Ron Brochu, Vice President of Manufacturing

What does Infiltrator Systems do?

Infiltrator Systems is a company that manufactures drainage chambers for septic and storm water management.

Can residents drop off their carpet for you to use?

We actually only take carpet from consolidators around the US.  These consolidators include companies that take carpet away from the customers and gives it to Infiltrator Systems.  And alot of the time we get carpets from manufacturers like Mohawk.  The carpet we use is ones with polypropylene fibers.

How much do you pay for the old carpet?

We pay just a little bit, maybe 5 to 10 cents a pound.

What do you do with the recycled carpet? 

We use the carpet as a whole.  We don't take it apart into the individual pieces, instead we grind it all up and melt it down in pelts that can used as additives in the chambers we manufacturer.  It's only used as an additive because the melted down carpet isn't strong enough by itself.

Would I be able to get some samples of the pelts?

Yes, email me and I can get you some information and get you a 2 pound bag of pelts for samples.

Additional Information:

Champion Polymer Recycling

Infiltrator Systems is the parent company to Champion Polymer Recycling.  They buy 150 tons of plastic resin everyday to supply to Infiltrator Systems.  Champion used polyprolene (carpet), polyethylene, and other materials from industries like automotive (structural foam crates, thermoform materials, car interiors, material handling systems/containers, plastic pallets, and TPO-painted and unpainted), building materials, beverage and bottling (bread trays/bun racks, dairy crates, and plastic cartons), food processing (chicken coops and plastic used in meat and poultry processing), grocery/bakery (bread trays/bun racks, dairy crates, and plastic cartons), and distribution centers (collapsible totes and large plastic containers).

Research Thoughts

1 Earth 1 Design

Out of all the flooring materials, carpet is the most dangerous.  This is due to the various components of carpet that release chemicals into the air.  This off-gassing that takes place is toxic to people, and can be increased due to exposure to heat and sunlight.  The parts of the carpet that take part in off-gassing are: the carpet fibers, the backings, finishing processes (stain resistance and mold proofing), and the adhesives.  The padding beneath the carpet is also found to contribute to the off-gassing process.  

The air quality of a carpeted space is also due to the vacuuming being done.  It's impossible to remove all dust and allergen particles.  Also, those allergens and dust can become airborne when an inefficient vacuum filter is used.  Then, any of the damp methods of cleaning carpet can lead to mold, mildew, and dust mites.  

A solution to this problem is to use hard surface flooring materials.

Toxic Carpet

Over 60% of homes in the US contain carpet.  "Volatile organic compounds" (VOCs) are a group of chemicals found within carpet.  They include chemicals such as: toluene, benzene, formaldehyde, ethyl benzene, styrene, acetone, and more.  Some of these toxins have even been called by the EPA, "Extremely Hazardous Substances".  P-Dichlorobenzene is a known carcinogen found in carpet.  The side effects of these chemicals include: fetal abnormalities in test animals, hallucinations, nerve damage and respiratory illness in humans.  The "new carpet" smell is caused by 4-PC, which side effects include eye, nose and upper respiratory problems.  Moth proofing contains naphthalene, which can cause toxic reactions, especially in newborns.  Fire retardants often contain PBDE's which cause damage to thyroid, immune system and brain development.  

PFCs

Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs) are chemicals used to help make a material stain and stick resistant.  There is little government testing surrounding PFCs.  PFCs are what make carpet stain resistant.  PFCs include PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid and PFOS or perfluorooctane sulfonate.  These two groups are linked to causing cancer in lab animals.  

Human Health Effects of PFCs

PFOAs are linked to cause various cancers (like breast, liver, and testicular).  Along with PFOSs they can lead to birth defects, weakened immune system and Altered Hormone System Function, also known as endocrine disruption.  3M is a major company that would like to make a healthier product, so they have been conducting studies to see the effects of PFCs on humans throughout the years. 

Reading 2

Slow Death By Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie

Handout Foreword, Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 1 Pages iii-32 

The title of this handout was very dark and looming.  I'm sure that was to instill fear in the readers...and it worked...The fossil fuels that we use everyday like natural gas and oil are linked to common hormone disrupting chemicals.  I had no clue, which I'm sure is true for a vast majority of the world's population due to no advertising stating this problem.  In term we are hurting ourselves and also the world because we are using up our valuable fossil fuels.  It's a lose-lose situation.  The hormone disrupting chemicals can affect the fertility of people.  In turn this can help to decline the population, which is way over or could ultimately lead to our dismiss.  Children born today are beginning to develop: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism disorders, learning disabilities, diabetes, obesity, cancers, abnormal genitalia development, and infertility.  We are hurting our future generations!!!  

"Heck, if both Oprah and Pat Robertson are talking about toxic chemicals, then we know they have arrived as an issue of major concern for Americans." (p. xiii)  This quote made me laugh because of how people base their views on what famous people believe or promote.  Our society are such followers.  We need some great leaders to lead us!!!

The government has and will pass laws to "try" and help out our present situation, but from past examples it appears that all the laws are good for is on paper and nothing more.  Nothing is enforced.  In the US, there are 82,000 chemicals and that number add on 700 new chemicals per year.  We are just killing ourselves; it's so startling.  We have started to try and mimic Mother Nature because it's the safest route.  Consumer products don't help with our current concern because they may advertise that their products are green, but is that really true?!  I don't know...

Deodorant = phthalates = reproductive problems

Baby Bottles = bisphenol A = hormone disruptor

Sofas = brominated flame retardants = cancer

That scares me...

Our society is a trial and error one that can be seen from out past, but can we continue down this path?  We are researching the effects long term of certain chemicals we come in contact with everyday, but when we finally get the results will we be to late to change anything?!

Our culture depends on money in order to survive and keep thriving.  Our health isn't a main concern...well it should be.  Everyone around the world needs to work together, and help each other in order for changes to happen.  

Past examples:

Pocket Watch = radium = dental problems, anemia

Lucifer Match = phosphorous = anemia, brittle bones, "phossy jaw"

Felt Hats = mercury = lethargy, depression, loss of appetite, headaches, ulcerated gums, the shakes

We should have learned from our past, but have we...?

We want things fast, but we will have to change that in order to save lives and further our civilization.  We have the technology today to help us towards a brighter future.  In 1970, the first public awareness concerning pollution was published.  This should have happened long before 1970.  

I wonder what the results were for Bruce and Rick's experiment?

Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart 

Chapter 2 Pages 45-67

"reduce, avoid, minimize, sustain, limit, halt." (p. 45)  Some of these things are so hard for us to do because we are a fast paced society that wants things done right now.  That mindset needs to change.  With the increasing population, the result is that more products are being used and deposed of.  

"The best way to reduce any environmental impact is not to recycle more, but to produce and dispose of less." (p. 50)  This line of thinking is true, but for now this is all we have.  It's better that we recycle for now until something new and better comes along.  Who knows when that will be...?  I thought it was funny and yet so true that they termed recycling as being an aspirin to help with a hangover from over consumption.  We need to move towards an eco-efficient lifestyle, which means doing more with less.  The book talked about how some industries are going eco-efficient and saving money...then why aren't all industries following these examples?  Are they scared of change?  Or just that change takes time and time to them means profit?  Surprisingly, going eco-efficient isn't very...efficient because it reduces down the amount of chemicals created, but it still gives them off.  Even in small does toxins can be bad.

Recycling products like aluminum soda cans may seem good, but the can itself consists of two types of aluminum.  This means when the can is melted down to create a different product it becomes weaker, and then other chemicals are brought into the equation to try and make it stronger.  The recycling of consumer goods requires chemicals in order to get the product back to its original state whether it be melting, bleaching, etc...so in turn it costs more...

Research Thoughts

Toxic Chemicals Found in Recycled Carpet Padding

This website shocked me because when you think of using recycled products that makes you feel good...but now it seems it can be bad...

April 27, 2011: "In the first publicly available study of its kind, a type of recycled foam carpet pad commonly sold in the Michigan was demonstrated to contain flame retardant chemicals linked to diseases and disorders."  These chemicals are: PentaBDE and OctaBDE.  They are banned in 12 states and 170 countries.  Along with the samples from Michigan they also found that the ones from Alaska, New York, and Washington contained the toxic substances.  From Michigan they tested four samples, two were new and two were recycled.  The results were the new padding contained no traces of the hazardous substances, while the recycled ones contained them.  Further more, the samples through the study not only contained the substances, they were also over the indicated waste level.  

PentaBDE and OctaBDE throughout it's life span is released through dust particles.  These chemicals are added to padding as flame retardants.  So the materials being recycled to create the carpet padding had contained the substances.  They are trying to crack down on companies who put these chemicals on their products, which has worked some.  The issue lies in the fact that there is no restriction on the materials we recycle that contain PentaBDE and OctaBDE....

RecycleCarpet.org 

This blog like site gives different information depending on what's going on in the news or what information they can find.  In 2002, almost 4.7 billion pounds of carpet were thrown into landfills in the United States.  Sadly, only 3.8% of the carpet discarded in 2002 were recycled.  The reason why this number is so low can be contributed to different factors.  One being there really isn't a finely toned structure behind the collecting and processing of discarded carpet.  In hope for a better system of recycling carpet, the National Carpet Recycling Agreement was created.  It aims to before 2012: reuse 3-5%, recycle 20-25%, use 3% for alternative fuel source and as an additive in cement, and waste-to-energy 1%.  

Scientific American

A question being posed is: "I have a carpet made out of recycled PET bottles in my baby’s room and I started noticing a lot of the fibers on our clothes and even in my mouth! Is it dangerous for me or my baby to be in contact with and possibly ingest these fibers?"

This was posed in July 2011, which is rather recent.  The website answered by saying that there is no evidence (yet) proving that polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics are harmful to us, but that precautions should still be taken.  Like don't put it in your mouth, and vacuum often.  PET carpet is recycled from plastic soda and water bottles.  It's an excellent material in that it requires very little maintenance.  It's even concluded that PET carpet is better than the lower grades of fiber found in new carpet.  The PET carpet is downcycled when it's reached the end of its span to be used as insulation, car parts, or even furniture stuffing.  For every square yard of PET carpet 40 plastics bottles are taken out of our landfills.  In turn, PET carpet requires less energy and creates less pollutants.     

The Carpet Recyclers 

Here are some products that can be created from recycled carpet: recycled carpet, carpet pad, auto parts, flooring, plastic lumber, roof shingles, erosion control and oil absorbent items, park benches, and high-energy fuel.  Over 4 million pounds of carpet of disposed of in landfills.  That accounts for about 3.5%.  

The Carpet and Rug Institute 

In 2008, the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) published a Sustainability Report.  Within it, they wrote about how the carpet industries have changed throughout the years in a better way.

This graph shows the amount of electricity used, and how that decreased in a 2 year span.

 

This graph displays the different types of energy used to create carpet, and how that has changed through the years.

This graph shows the amount of waste material the carpet industries used in the manufacturing of their carpet.

CRI members have found way to use all parts of old carpet so that less is put within landfills.   Excess carpet is sometimes cut down to become rugs.  The trimmings, backings, and yarn are sent to recycling places where they transform them into other items like fence posts, carpet padding, furniture and cushion stuffing, used in concrete, road underlayment, and auto parts.  Additional materials used in the production of carpet like cardboard, paper, and much more are recycled.   

Benefits of Recycling 

In flooring materials sold, carpet accounts for about 70% within the developed world.  90% of all that carpet sold is "tufted" carpet or wall to wall carpet.  "Tufted" carpet is made from synthetic fibers and is coated with chemicals to protect it.  Due to the problem of what to do with old carpet, an industry of recycling carpet emerged and its name is CARE (Carpet America Recovery Effort).  CARE is a non-profit organization that wishes to better the environment and our future.  The good thing is carpet companies now give information out to customers when they wish to get rid of their out carpet.  If only recycling was free, but it's NOT!!!  A square yard of carpet weighs about 4 lbs, and it costs about 5 to 25 cents per pound.  Certain factors consider how much it costs, and their are: the kind of carpet, how it was installed, and customers location.  

Green Your

Here's steps that consumers can follow in order to recycle their old carpet.
1. Old carpet that isn't badly worn old, torn, or stained can be donated to charities like Habitat for Humanity or used carpet outlets.  500,000 pounds of carpet were sold as used carpet in 2006.  
2. If the carpet isn't in great condition, then a recycling center is the way to go.  CARE is a resource that can help consumers locate the closest recycling center.  Sadly, it's not free to recycle your carpet.  Private recyclers can charge cost between 5 to 25 cents per pound.  Used carpet weighs .5 pounds per square foot, and with about 1,000 square feet it could cost you $25 to $125 to recycle.  
3. To save money consumers can take their old carpet and reuse it elsewhere like as rugs, car mats, lining the inside of a truck or van, and many more.


Eco-$mart
888-329-2705
4411 Bee Ridge Rd. #344
Sarasota, FL 34233


Eco-$mart is a company that sells products for your house that are green and helps the environment.  It's located in Florida, and even provides their own catalog.  

They sell carpet that is made from renewable resources.  There are different varieties of the carpet they offer and they are: wool, sea grass, mountain grass carpet, and bio-floor.  The Bio-Floor carpet consists of biodegradable materials that are 100% natural and raw.  It is made from 100% natural wool and 100% natural pigments and bonding agents.  

Eco-$mart also sells 100% Recycled PET Carpet and recycled padding for the carpet.

Research Thoughts

There are many stores in Lexington, Kentucky that sell carpet.  So I plan to contact some and try to obtain samples from to experiment with....

Kevin's Carpet

859-381-1802

4101 Tates Creek Centre Drive

Lexington, Kentucky 40517

There are four basic fibers found within carpet: 

* Nylon - Strong, durable, no matting or wear shown, soft, cleans well, treated to resist stains

* Polypropylene - Resists stains and fading and moisture, solution dyed (can clean with bleach)

* Polyester - Soft, naturally and permanently stain and fade resistance, strong, abrasion resistance, easily cleaned, resists water soluble stains

* Wool - Soft, warm, comfortable, ages well, clean easily, most expensive

DuPont Sorona's carpet is used from corn sugar ingredients, which is a renewable resource.  The production of their polymer uses 30% energy less than nylon.  In turn, one gallon of gas is saved per every seven square yards of carpet.  It's very stain resistant, which is great.

WHAT IS THE MAIN SELLING ELEMENT FOR PEOPLE WHEN THEY BUY CARPET? COST? COLORS AVAILABLE?

DO COMPANIES ADVERTISE ECO FRIENDLY CARPET?

TELL ME MORE ABOUT DUPONT SORONA BIO-PDO?  HOW POPULAR IS THIS?

WHERE ARE THE CARPETS MADE? ANY LOCALLY?

SAMPLES?

Carpet Solutions
859-277-4482

175 Dennis Drive

Lexington, Kentucky 40503

CBT Carpet Recycling

513-621-4800

1217 Ellis Street

Cincinnati, Ohio 45223

CBT Carpet Recycling center allows certain carpet to be recycled.  As of right now (based on the changing market) N6 (green), N66 (red), polypropylene (yellow), PET fiber, foam padding/rebonding, carpet tile, cardboard cores, and clear plastic bags from padding.  Carpet color is based on information received from their equipment used determined from the 8 LED indicators.  Blue is polyethylene and white is other.  Carpet can be recycled into new carpet, and can help with the construction of buildings (building products and sediment control).  Also the by products of carpet can be transformed into resin for plastic industries.  An interesting fact from the website is that about "5 million pounds of bio-degradable used carpet are dumped into landfills in the US every year."

SO NOT ALL CARPET CAN BE RECYCLED?

WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU CONSIDER WHEN YOU MEAN "PREQUALIFYING"?

WHAT IS THE BEST CARPET MATERIAL TO BE USED FOR RECYCLING?

DO ALL PARTS OF THE CARPET GET RECYCLED?

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RECYCLE CARPET?

WHAT COMPANIES DO YOU SEND THE CLEAN AND BALED CARPET TO TO BE RECYCLED?  WHAT DO THESE COMPANIES DO?  ARE THEY LOCAL?  OR DOES IT HAVE TO TRAVEL FAR?  DO YOU SHIP THE CARPET OUT OR DOES THE COMPANY HAVE TO COME PICK UP THE CARPET?  DO THEY CHARGE YOU FOR THE CARPET, OR DO YOU CHARGE THEM?

WHAT COMPANIES ACCEPT THE RECYCLED CARPET? 

CAN CARPET BE TRANSFORMED TO BE AN EXTERIOR SHELL???!!!

Class Day 2

Readings:

Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart 

Introduction and Chapter 1 Pages 3-44 
and

The Philosophy of Sustainable Design by Jason F. McLennan 

Handout Pages 1-34

When it comes to industry company/people should show "fair play" and "good will" (p. 6 C to C).  In class we watched a news cast video that talked about "Defective Drywall".  It spoke about how in the southern states that the dry wall put up was bad.  It smelled of rotten eggs and turned all copper pipes black.  How would we even be able to depose of toxic materials when it's reached it's life span?  

REDUCE...RECYCLE...REUSE

HOMEWORK:

Start to look up material and start to question it and then call around.  Also start to perform material experiments.  Maybe call around to get samples.

HOW COULD CARPET BE REUSED AND RECYCLED EASILY?  WHAT OTHER PURPOSES CAN CARPET HOLD?  WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO WITH THEIR OWN CARPET WITHOUT TURNING IT OVER TO SOMEONE ELSE?  OTHER HOUSEHOLD PURPOSES?

First step to research:
Understand what is conventionally being used...
How is the sustainability trend having an effect... 
Ask what, who, when, why...
Call people...

What is biocomposite material?
It is a material formed by mixture of natural fibers.  The resin is replaced by vegetable or animal resin, and the fillers are replaced with natural fibers.  


Second step to research:
Understand how conventional things are made in order to reproduce and experiment...

Third step to research:

Identify a problem and begin to look for solution...

Fourth step to research:
Embark on the journey and find the people who can answer your questions...
Be bold...
Find the experts... 

Looking at the images from Sarah Heller's trip to the recycling center it made me wonder why can't companies just mesh all the colors together to be a genetic item.  Or the fact that companies could make the recycling process a lot easier.  Like with the plastic bottles, they could use the same plastic throughout the bottle and not three different types.  Also, when it comes to labels they get thrown out into landfills, and they could maybe be bio-degradable.

Midterm Project Idea

I have started thinking about the midterm project and I think that CARPET would be a good material to investigate further into.  This is because everyone has carpet and at some point or another carpet is changed and what becomes of the remains??!!  That is something I want to look further into because it seems like to me that carpet can be recycled into other purposes...maybe even insulation...

Carpet America Recovery Effort

This website helps with people to locate businesses around the country that can recycle their old carpet.  There are actually two located in Kentucky....

* Champion Polymer in Lexington, Kentucky (Infiltrator Systems 859-556-0786)

* CLEAR in Louisville, Kentucky (502-961-7403)

Lexington Government

859-425-2255

675 Byrd Thurman Drive

Lexington, Kentucky 40510   

On the Lexington Government website, they actually provide information to people if they wish to throw their old carpet away.  There are certain instructions that have to be followed.

* Carpet is considered a "bulky item" and must be cut down and tied in 4-foot sections

* Bundled weight <60 pounds

* If carpet was installed professional, then have the company dispose of the old carpet

Louisville Government

On the Louisville Government website they state that: "About 1/3 of the carpet made in America has recycled plastic in it.  Recycled plastic is also made into commercial strapping, clothing and outdoor lumber which does not rot."

CBT Carpet Recycling

513-621-4800

1217 Ellis Street

Cincinnati, Ohio 45223

This website provides a lot of good information when it comes to understanding anything when it comes to carpet recycling.  The facts they provide will become very vital for me during my research.