The Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program marks 15 years of environmental service this year.
Launched in 1999, the Ceiling Recycling Program has recycled more than 163 million square feet of used ceiling tiles globally, preventing more than 81,500 tons or the equivalent of roughly 5,100 tractor-trailer loads full of old ceilings from being deposited in landfills throughout the world.
The Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program enables commercial building owners and contractors to ship used ceiling tiles from demolition and renovation sites to the nearest Armstrong manufacturing plant as an alternative to landfill disposal.The discarded ceiling tiles are used to manufacture new ceiling products through a closed-loop process.
Working with building owners and contractors from about 393 different demolition and renovation projects throughout the U.S. and Canada in an average year, the Ceiling Recycling Program transports about 516 tractor-trailer loads of discarded ceiling tiles back to its manufacturing plants for recycling each year. An average of 104 of these trailer loads come from job sites in California; 64 from New York; and 58 from Pennsylvania.
Throughout its 15-year history, the Recycling Program has helped companies like Walmart, Food Lion, Aetna, Vision Equities, and others save the environment by diverting the used ceiling tiles from their renovation projects away from landfills.
In 2012, Armstrong expanded its Ceiling Recycling Program globally, with ongoing projects in Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The program will expand into Poland, Germany, Italy, and Spain later this year.
Ceiling recycling can help building owners and contractors save money on container costs and landfill fees and can contribute to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credits for Construction Waste Management. The new ceiling tiles are designated as Ceiling-2-Ceiling items and contain the highest level of post-consumer recycled content in the ceiling industry. Selection of Ceiling-2-Ceiling items can contribute to LEED credits for Recycled Content.
Earlier this year, the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program was recognized by both the National Demolition Association (NDA) and the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) for its significant contribution to the environment. In 2013, the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP) honored the Ceiling Recycling Program with its Waste Watcher Award for outstanding practices in the recycling field.